Acceptance
by Faith Kingsley
Summary: A girl named Nicki arrives in San Francisco, looking for an old red Victorian manor. What happens when she meets the Charmed Ones? This is more interesting than it sounds, I promise.
1. Searching

Story Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that appear on Charmed, they all belong to Brad Kern and Constance M Burge et al. Wouldn't it be cool if I did own them though? I mean for one thing, Prue would never have died, and there would be like a Power of Four or something. Anyway, I don't, so that's that.

A/N: Thoughts are in _italics_. This is set somewhere in Season Five probably, but I've kind of put everyone where I want them. Prue is still dead. Sorry. Piper and Leo are married, Leo is not an elder, and Wyatt is around six months old. Cole is dead; Phoebe is single and has only just got over him. Paige is also single, and all three sisters, Leo and Wyatt live in the manor. Paige is confident as a witch and Piper and Phoebe accept her fully as their sister. Piper owns P3, which is very successful, Phoebe works at the Bay Mirror and Paige works at South Bay Social Services.

Right, now that that's over, on with the story...

--Acceptance--

Chapter One

The 107XS British Airways flight from London Heathrow to San Francisco International finally disembarked, after circling above the airport for over four hours. A young girl, no older than fifteen, climbed out of the cargo hold and dragged a battered blue backpack out behind her. It had the name 'Nicki' written in the top corner in black marker. She left the plane and walked straight past the baggage handlers, pretending to be lost, and out into the streets of San Francisco.

Nicki's shoes dragged along the pavement, they were almost worn through already, but she didn't have another pair, and they were comfortable enough anyway. Her hand drifted to her stomach as it growled at her; she really should find something to eat. Her mind, however, was on a completely different track. She pulled out a worn photograph from the back pocket of her faded jeans and unfolded it. It showed three girls sitting on the steps of an amazing red house.

The photo was cracked with age, but it was still possible to make out the expressions on the girls' faces. The youngest, aged around twelve, looked annoyed and was glaring at the eldest, about sixteen, who was ignoring her completely and smiling sweetly at the camera. The other girl looked shy and peaceful, she was around fourteen, and was sitting between the others as a barrier. It looked like the most natural thing in the world. The family resemblance was definitely there, they were definitely cousins, if not sisters. _I wish I could have grown up with family like that. I wish I could have grown up with anyone like that._

She folded the photo and put it back into her pocket. She'd come here to try to find those girls, and she only had one idea of where to start, the house. That house was impressive, a huge manor like that. There couldn't be that many houses like that in the city. She needed to find it, she'd spent her entire childhood imagining walking up that drive, she wanted to know what those flowers smelt like, what the house was like, who these girls were. She'd started by coming to San Francisco, but now she really didn't know what to do. The only way she thought she could find it was through a search engine, a house like that had to be on the internet, on a historical site or something. She figured that she could find it if she looked for long enough, but she'd never used the internet before and so had absolutely no idea where to start.

After fifteen more minutes of walking, Nicki came across the perfect place, an internet café. She pulled the last of her money out of her pocket and counted it out. She only had around twenty dollars left. Deciding that she could wait to eat, she bought an hour's worth of time on a computer and sat down, putting her backpack underneath her chair. Bringing up a search engine, she typed in the phrase 'Victorian manor'. After a few seconds, the search was returned. 147,603,299 hits. _This is going to be slightly harder than I first thought._

She shifted in her orange plastic chair and pulled a bottle of water from her bag. After taking a long drink, she looked around and saw a waitress glaring at her. She hastily pushed the bottle back into her bag and turned back to the computer. Time to refine the search a little. She replaced 'Victorian manor' with 'red Victorian manor San Francisco' and hit enter. A few seconds later the page had finished loading. 207 hits. Now that was better.

Forty minutes later, she found what she was looking for. On a major architectural site she found a link to 'a photographic history of San Francisco', and there, halfway through the Victorian section, she'd found the house. She pulled the photo from her pocket again and pushed her plait back behind her shoulders. Her black hair was quite long, it came down to her mid-back, but she still always found it hard to keep under control. The photo and the picture on the website showed the same house, it was the house she'd been looking for. There was even an address, 1329 Prescott Street. A pen. She needed a pen. She turned to the woman next to her.

'Excuse me ma'am, but do you have a pen I could borrow?'

The woman looked at her strangely. 'You from round here?' she asked.

'No. I'm from England, actually,' Nicki replied.

'So what are you doing in San Francisco then?' said the woman, looking at her quizzically.

Nicki smiled. 'I'm not really sure, but at the moment, I'm looking for a pen,' she replied sweetly. The woman smiled back at her and pulled a ballpoint from her bag.

'My lucky pen, that is,' she said, handing it over.

'Thank you.' She turned back to the screen and copied the address down onto her hand. In her last five minutes she pulled up a map of San Francisco and found 1329 Prescott Street.

When the waitress came over and frowned at her again, she closed down all the pages and logged out. Picking up her backpack and giving the woman back her lucky pen she left the café and started walking again. Five minutes later she found a tram station, and was hugely relieved to find it empty. Large groups of people made her nervous. She looked at the grimy map on the wall, and found Prescott Street. The nearest stop to it was on the corner of Gleeson and ninth, and was around an hour from where she was. Just as she was counting her money again, a tram pulled up. She climbed on and walked up to the driver.

'Hello. Does this tram stop at Gleeson and ninth?' she asked, looking at the floor.

'Yes, that's ten dollars fifty,' he replied monotonously. She handed over almost all of her remaining money.

'Could you call me when we reach it?' she asked, hesitantly.

The driver nodded, and she took it as her cue to leave. She took the seat right behind the driver, and sighed as the tram drew away. She couldn't believe she was finally here. Pulling the photo back out of her pocket, she studied it closely, not that she needed to. She knew that photo like the back of her hand, she sun on the windows, the car in the driveway, all the details of the girls' faces. She carefully refolded it and put it back into her pocket. She so hoped that they still lived there, although she knew that it was a remote chance, the photo must have been nearly twenty years old.

Nicki must have fallen asleep, because she jerked awake to the driver yelling 'Gleeson and ninth,' into the back of the tram. She grabbed her backpack and stumbled off, mumbling a 'thank you,' to the driver. When she was on the pavement, she opened her backpack and had another drink of water. She looked at the map on the tram station and at the address on her hand, and tried to orientate herself. After several minutes she set off up the street, fairly confident about where she was going. She held the photo in her hands, almost willing it to guide her there.

After five minutes, she turned into an almost familiar road, Prescott Street. There, at the end, was the house she'd been looking at every day for as long as she could remember. It was the same, but different. There were different flowers in the beds and the brown car in the drive had been replaced by a black one, but it was definitely the same house. Now that she was here, she felt her stomach jump and bile rise in her throat. She swallowed it back and told herself not to be nervous, she was here now. This was the moment she'd been waiting for all her life. She walked up to the house's front door, and stood with her hand by her side, willing it to ring the bell. She summoned up all the strength she could and pushed the bell. Fighting the urge to run away, she waited at the door. _I can't do this. Why am I even here? Calm down, it's okay, it's all going to be okay, you only want to talk to them. They probably don't live here anymore anyway._ A few seconds later she heard a female's voice coming from inside the house.

'I'm just coming, hang on a second!' the voice said. The door opened to reveal a pretty woman brushing through her wet hair, the owner of the voice. 'Can I help you?'

'Umm, yes, I hope so' Nicki said, shuffling her feet on the doormat. 'Are you P Halliwell?'

'Yes,' she chuckled a little. 'Well, one of them. I'm Phoebe,' Phoebe replied. The girl in the doorway looked about ready to faint. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The girl opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, and then closed it. It looked as if she was plucking up the courage to say something.

Nicki took a deep breath and then spoke. 'Are you my mother?'

--End of Chapter One--

So, what do you think? Review button is right underneath this, by the way. Any criticism is welcome, but please let it be constructive, don't flame!


	2. Confusion

This is dedicated to JanaRose, Eileen Harris and svata2004, my first ever reviewers! How exciting (does little victory dance)!

--Chapter Two--

Phoebe looked at the girl in the doorway, her heart breaking for her. 'Um, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry' she said, gently.

The girl looked crushed. 'Are you sure?' she pleaded, 'Maybe there's another P Halliwell that lives here? Or maybe she used to live here? Please!' Tears were running down Nicki's face, her head was spinning.

'I'm really sorry, honey,' Phoebe said, trying to comfort this girl who was in obvious distress on her front porch. 'I've lived here since I was born. The only other P Halliwells I know are my sisters, and I'm pretty sure that they don't have any children. Maybe you have the wrong house?' she offered, looking at the girl with obvious pain on her face. Phoebe's empathy allowed her to feel this pain washing off of her in waves, along with fear, and distrust. _I really hope I can help this girl. _ Phoebe thought. _She looks so... broken._

'No, it's here, I'm sure it's here. It has to be here,' Nicki mumbled through the tears. She felt her legs swaying and put a hand on the doorframe to steady herself, dropping the photo she had held so tightly in her fingers. Phoebe bent down to pick it up, and then nearly dropped it again in shock. The photo was at least fifteen years old, it was of herself, and Piper, and Prue, when they were kids. She had that exact picture in her room; she looked at it nearly every day. Phoebe looked up at the girl for an explanation, only to find her on her knees, struggling to breathe. As she collapsed into Phoebe's arms, Phoebe was hit by huge amounts of physical pain coming from her. There was an athame stuck in the middle of her back, and a warlock standing behind her in the doorway.

'Oh, this I really don't need right now,' Phoebe muttered. 'Leo! God damn it, Leo, get your ass down here now!' she yelled up the stairs. Her brother-in-law was in the nursery with Wyatt, and he orbed in right next to her.

'What, Phoebe! I've only just got him down and then you...' he started, and then took in the situation. 'Oh, dear.'

'Understatement of the year!' Phoebe said angrily, trying to fight off the warlock and keep the girl safe at the same time. 'A little help please?'

_Where the hell did he come from?_ Nicki thought. Then she gave in to the pain and the darkness swallowed her up.

An hour later, Phoebe, Piper and Paige were sitting in the lounge, each with a scalding hot cup of coffee. Paige absentmindedly stirred her coffee whilst speculating about the warlock. 'He was only lower level; I mean he didn't even have any powers. Why the hell did he come and attack us?'

Piper got out of her armchair as Wyatt started crying from the playpen in the corner of the sunroom. 'I know. You'd think that by now they'd have realised that they need more than one warlock to kill us,' she said, as she picked the baby up.

Phoebe was staring into her coffee cup. 'I don't think he knew who we were,' she said, quietly. Piper made a derisive noise from the corner.

'Oh, please. Everyone knows we live here,' she said, bouncing Wyatt on her hip.

'She's right' added Paige, from the couch. 'The amount of bad karma in this house is incredible. Anything evil could tell this was our house from thirty feet.'

'I mean,' Phoebe started, still staring into her coffee, 'I think he was after the girl.'

'What the one upstairs?' Piper asked, bringing Wyatt into the living room with her. 'Is she a witch?'

'I don't think so,' Phoebe said, getting off of the couch and walking to the window. 'I don't know,' she added slowly. 'She said she thought that I was her mother.'

Piper stared at her. 'Her mother? Is she mad?'

Paige looked pissed. 'Why do we always get the crazy people?'

Phoebe glared at her sisters. 'You guys, I don't think she's crazy. All I was getting from her was fear, you know,' she was searching for the right word, 'apprehension. I honestly think she thought she would find her mother here.' She caught Leo in the corner of her eye walking down the stairs and whipped round. 'Is she awake?'

'No,' Leo said. 'I've healed her, but there's something wrong. She won't wake up, I think she's unconscious.' Paige opened her mouth to protest, but Leo held up his hand to calm her. 'She'll be fine; her body just needs some rest. It looks like she hasn't slept in days.'

Phoebe walked back to the couch and put her mug of coffee onto the table. 'She probably hasn't. It looks like she's been travelling; all she had with her was a backpack,' she gestured to the bag, which was looking very forlorn in the corner of the hall, 'and this.' She laid the photo carefully down onto the coffee table next to her mug. Paige leant over to look at it and picked it up. Piper glanced at it over Paige's shoulder and gasped. _That's me, and Phoebe, and Prue. How did she get this?_ She handed Wyatt to Leo, and took a closer look at the picture.

'That's the manor,' Paige said curiously. 'Is that you?' she asked Phoebe and Piper, and Phoebe nodded. 'Where did she get this from? Was it in the manor?' Paige said suspiciously. 'Did she take it?'

'No, I don't think so,' Phoebe replied. 'I mean, I have a copy of that photo, and so does Piper, and Prue did, but I know mine's in my album and Prue's album is in the attic.'

'Mine is in a frame in my room,' added Piper. 'So how did she get a copy?' She went to take Wyatt again, and tried to stop him from fussing.

'He's just tired,' Phoebe said. 'He wants the blue elephant and daddy to take him to bed.'

Piper gave Wyatt back to Leo and went to fetch the elephant from his playpen. 'Phoebs, I know your being an empath comes in handy, but I would appreciate you not using your powers on my child,' she said sarcastically as she came back into the room.

'I'm not using my powers on him!' said Phoebe indignantly. 'I can't control it yet, I'm picking up on everything, and it's driving me crazy!'

'Guys, calm,' Paige said placidly, putting the photo back on to the table. 'Piper's just worried that you're going to override her maternal instinct, or something, and Phoebe just wants what's best for Wyatt, okay?'

Leo started to laugh. 'Paige, are you sure you're not becoming an empath?' he said, as he carried Wyatt up the stairs.

'No, god, at least I hope not,' Paige said. 'No offence,' she quickly added to Phoebe, who nodded and smiled back at her.

'None taken.'

Paige continued, once Leo had left the room. 'Actually, I think I'm finally becoming a sister.'

Phoebe looked shocked. 'Paige, how can you say that? You've always been my sister; Piper's too, right Piper?' she asked, looking over to her other sister. Piper just nodded absentmindedly.

'Hey, feel the love in this room,' Paige said, jokingly. She noticed that Piper was staring at the coffee table. 'Piper, what's wrong?'

Piper had picked up the photo again and was looking at the back. 'Guys,' she said slowly, not taking her eyes off the picture, 'did you see this?' She handed the photo to Phoebe and Paige on the couch. Paige took it and turned it over. There was a message on the back:

_To my little girl – born May 12th 1987_

_I'm sorry I never got to know you_

_P Halliwell_

Paige looked puzzled, but Phoebe looked shocked. She turned to Piper, a pleading look in her eyes. _Oh god. That can't be what I think it is._ 'Is that...'

Piper nodded again. 'Yes. That's Prue's handwriting.'

--End of Chapter Two--


	3. Pieces of the Past

It's really weird. I get reviews, and they just give me incentive to write more! So, here you go. This chapter is dedicated to JanaRose (my most loyal reviewer, with 2!), naiya-isis and Mysterious Midnight!

--Chapter Three--

Phoebe looked up to Piper, pleading evident in her eyes. 'But Prue can't be! I mean, when?' She looked as if words had failed her.

Paige turned towards Phoebe. 'I'd say around May '87, but that could just be a guess,' she said sarcastically, trying to break the tension. When she realised that it hadn't worked, she put her arm around Phoebe and hugged her close. 'Maybe this is just a mistake, I mean, you guys would have noticed if Prue'd had a baby, wouldn't you?'

Piper looked stunned. '1987, Prue would have been seventeen, I was fifteen, Phoebs, you were just thirteen. That was when Prue was going through her rebellious phase with, what was his name?'

'Justin.' Phoebe answered dully. _This is all falling into place. God, I wish it wasn't._ 'That was when she was attacked, but that was in '86. Remember, Grams made her finish the winter semester.'

'Of course. She was crying herself to sleep nearly every night. I could hear her, and so could you. Then Grams sent her to stay in England with one of her friends for a while to get things into perspective. She came back to retake senior year.' Suddenly, the realisation hit Piper as well. 'Oh my god,' she said, slowly, 'Prue...'

Paige was listening to them, hardly daring to believe her ears. 'How is it that I didn't know any of this?' she asked, looking from Piper to Phoebe and back again. 'Did you all just forget to mention it?'

Phoebe raised her head to stare into Paige's eyes. 'It's not that we kept it from you,' she tried to explain. 'It was just so long ago.'

'It was so painful,' Piper added. 'I don't think I ever wanted to remember Prue going through that...'

'It might have been nice to have a heads up!' Paige interrupted. 'You know, just a "PS you might be an aunt" kind of thing!' she ranted.

Phoebe stood up, fire blazing in her eyes. 'Paige! You have no idea what we went through! We'd hoped it was all over, and we never wanted to go there again! It's not like we knew she was pregnant!'

'Phoebe, sit down.' Piper said. 'She might not have even been pregnant, this could all be just some big mistake.' she continued, calmly.

'Piper this is not a mistake and you know it!' Phoebe said venomously. 'There is a girl upstairs, unconscious on my bed, who claims to be Prue's... daughter, and you can't pretend that it isn't happening! _I don't believe she is doing this, again! Piper always does this!_

'I'm not pretending that it isn't happening!' Piper said, in a dangerous whisper, practically shaking with rage. 'I just can't believe that Prue wouldn't ever tell us something like this...' she tailed off, breaking down into tears.

Paige got up off of the couch and went to comfort Piper. She sat down on the arm of the chair and started to rub small, soothing circles in the middle of her back. Phoebe's face immediately softened, and she too moved over to the chair, and knelt down in front of it.

'Sweetie, I'm sorry,' she said, taking Piper's hands in hers. 'I'm just scared too, and I don't know what to do, and I feel like I should...'

Paige interrupted Phoebe's ramblings. 'You shouldn't know what to do honey, it's not like this is a common situation or anything.' she bent down and kissed the top of Phoebe's head. 'It's all going to be okay.'

Suddenly, a scream came from Phoebe's room, followed by Wyatt crying from the nursery. As one, the three sisters ran upstairs, Piper to Wyatt's nursery and Phoebe and Paige into Phoebe's room.

The girl was sitting bolt upright in Phoebe's bed, tears running down her face. She was staring at a demon that had just shimmered in beside the bed, with an energy ball in his hand. She looked up to Phoebe and Paige when they walked in to the room, her eyes pleading with them to help her.

'Piper!' Phoebe yelled, high kicking the demon from behind, almost knocking him into the girl in the bed.

'Energy ball!' said Paige, and the girl looked stunned as it suddenly vanished from the demon and materialised into Paige's outstretched hand. Paige threw it at the demon, but it didn't kill him, it just really pissed him off. He turned back to the bed and grabbed the girl by the arm, holding her in front of him as a shield from Phoebe and Paige whilst lifting her high into the air by her left arm. A resounding crack echoed through the room as the demon threw her against the wall, and the girl's face crumpled. Broken bones were now protruding from her arm. _Oh Jesus, that hurts._ Phoebe bent over, trying to block out the girl's pain, as Piper skidded into the room, hands up at the ready.

What she saw astounded her. Phoebe was curled into the foetal position in the corner of the room, deep concentration on her face. Paige was standing at the foot of the bed, her mouth open, just watching. The girl was holding her left wrist steady on her chest, but was proceeding to beat the crap out of the demon in front of her. Piper gaped as she punched him in the chest, then axe-kicked him in the head. She followed this by kneeing him in the crotch and then sweeping his feet from under him. As she made to kick him in the head again, the demon shimmered out. The girl turned to face Piper and Paige, her lip bloodied, and then fell to her knees on the floor, cradling her arm. They ran quickly to her side.

'Leo!' Piper yelled into the corridor. 'Leo!'

The girl looked up at them from the floor, and Phoebe got up. Paige looked at Phoebe quizzically, nodding towards the girl.

'She's blocking out the pain,' Phoebe said, as she walked over to them. She knelt down beside the girl and gently took her arm from her, but the girl snatched it away.

'I'm fine,' she said harshly. 'I just need a second.' Tears were still falling unnoticed from her eyes, mixing with the blood seeping through her shirt. Large drops were staining her jeans.

'Leo!' Piper yelled again. 'It's okay, bring Wyatt!'

The girl looked at them curiously. 'Who's Leo?'

Paige smiled at her. 'An angel,' she replied. 'And my husband.'

Leo orbed into Phoebe's room, Wyatt balanced on his hip. 'What's wrong? What happened?' he said, looking around the room urgently, seeing the blood on the wall. He saw all the sisters on the floor with the girl from before holding her arm and trying to stand up. 'Whoa there,' he said, rushing over and handing Wyatt over to Piper, pushing the girl gently back down onto the floor. Phoebe guided her down, helping to cradle her arm, feeling her pain seeping through her mental block and wincing. Leo bent down and held out his hands, but the girl shrank away from him and back into Paige, who held her securely.

'What's wrong?' she said quietly, running her fingers through the girl's hair, trying to comfort her. The girl pulled herself together quickly and sat up slightly straighter, although the pain was becoming more and more evident on her, and Phoebe's, face.

'Nothing, I'm fine,' she said firmly, holding her arm out to Leo. He placed both his hands over her arm and a warm glow emanated from his palms. The blood vanished from the wall and her clothes and the bones withdrew back into her arm. The material of her old black and red rugby shirt knit itself back together and the pain vanished from her face. Phoebe stood up, instantly chirpier now that she wasn't getting the waves of pain from the girl on the floor.

'Quite accident prone, aren't you?' Leo said, smiling calmly and helping Piper to her feet, holding his hand out to the girl. She ignored him and pulled herself to her feet.

'It's not my fault that weird people keep coming after me, is it?' she mumbled with her head looking at the floor. 'People have been trying to kill me my whole life, it's not exactly easy,' she said, lifting her eyes and staring fiercely into Leo's.

The three sisters looked at each other, each with a worried look in their eyes. Piper spoke quietly. 'Maybe we should all go downstairs?'

--End of Chapter Three--

Questions, comments? Click the little button!


	4. Who Am I?

**Mysterious Midnight** - You wrote the first review I got for the last chapter, around an hour after I posted it! You made me very happy! I'm glad you liked it, I hope you like this chapter too.

**JanaRose** - Yey, I got another review from you, that's three in total, I feel so special! Your review was really nice, I feel very much loved, and I didn't expect people to be so nice!

--Chapter Four--

A little while later all six were in the living room. Piper was sitting in the armchair with Wyatt, giving him a bottle, and Paige, Phoebe and Leo were sitting on the couch. Phoebe was snuggled into Paige's shoulder, obviously the whole empath thing was taking its toll on her, and she was looking shattered. Nicki was curled into the other armchair, hugging her knees to her chest. Nobody seemed to want to start a conversation.

After several uncomfortable moments, Paige decided to break the silence. 'Umm, I don't mean to be rude,' she started slowly, as if unsure what to say to the strange girl in her living room. 'But I don't think that I actually know your name.' The others looked slightly taken aback, as if realising for the first time that they didn't know this either.

'Nicki Halliwell,' Nicki said resignedly. 'Well, Phoenix really, but everyone calls me Nicki.' She was talking down at the floor, and didn't notice the look of complete astonishment on everyone's faces.

'What did you say?' Piper asked before she could help herself.

Nicki raised her head and looked at her. 'Phoenix. You know, like the bird?' She suddenly realised that everyone was staring at her. 'What?'

Phoebe was the only one who had gathered herself enough to speak. 'Well, Nicki, it's just that my name is Phoebe Halliwell.'

'I know that,' Nicki answered her. 'You told me that already, remember? When you answered the door?' Suddenly, it was as if a light had switched itself on inside her head. 'Hang on,' she said, 'how did I get upstairs? Did I get attacked again? I remember being at the door...'

'In a minute honey,' Phoebe said calmly, 'you're missing the point. My sisters' names are Piper and Paige,' she indicated to them in turn.

Nicki looked stunned. 'Piper and Paige Halliwell?' she asked slowly, looking between them incredulously.

Paige muttered to herself. 'Well, sort of,' she said, although only Phoebe could hear her and nudged her in the side.

Nicki was still looking completely astounded. 'Are either of you my mother? Do you know who she is?' _Please, oh please, let me find her here. I've waited for so long._

Phoebe could feel her hope, and was so afraid of dashing it. 'Sweetie, please. It's okay, we'll get to that in a minute, I promise. Can we just ask you a few questions first?' She met Piper's questioning eyes and silently pleaded with her to let her ask a few questions. Piper nodded.

Nicki looked unwilling and was about to object when she saw Phoebe taking her photo out from behind the couch. 'My photo! Oh, thank god you have it!' She got out of her chair and went to take the photo from Phoebe, who reluctantly handed it over. Nicki ran her fingers all over it, as if checking that it was still all there, and then just stood there staring at it. Everyone in the room was stunned by the look of contentment that had just appeared on the girl's face, as she traced the picture with her fingertips. 'Is this you?' she asked, looking up into the faces of the sisters, and seeing several similarities.

Phoebe smiled at her. 'Honestly, in a minute, I promise. I just want to ask you some things so we can help you, okay?' Nicki slowly nodded and put the photo on her lap, looking into Phoebe's eyes as if the answers she so desperately wanted would be in there somewhere. 'Okay, good. Nice, easy one to start with, where were you born?'

'In England somewhere, London, I think, I'm not really sure.' Nicki said, screwing up her nose to think. 'Maybe it was Bristol.'

Phoebe looked shocked, but tried to hide it. She saw the same look on Piper's face out of the corner of her eye, and hoped that she was hiding it better than that. _Grams' friend lived near Bristol._ 'Alright, okay, good. Umm, where did you grow up?'

Nicki looked shocked at the question, but answered it anyway. 'Everywhere, I guess. Or nowhere, depending on how you look at it. I've been in foster care for as long as I can remember. I mean, I stayed in a children's home for a while when I was little, but I've been moving around.'

Paige looked shocked. 'Didn't you have a social worker?' she asked.

Nicki turned to her, wondering why she'd asked. 'Yeah, well they always changed. My last one was called Mr Phelps.'

'And he didn't find you a home?' Paige asked, in disbelief. She now knew why she'd gone into social work; it was to help children like this.

'No, he did. I've been living in the same place for the last four years, since I was eleven. It's in Devon, near Exeter.'

'Oh okay,' Paige said, now slightly happier. At that moment Wyatt started to cry. Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly silenced by a glare from Piper. She handed Wyatt to Leo.

'Could you take him upstairs please?' she said.

'Sure...' Leo started, and was about to continue but Piper interrupted him.

'I'll fill you in later,' she said slowly.

'Okay,' Leo answered, and he stood up, holding Wyatt close, and walked to the stairs. 'If you need me...'

'I'll call,' Piper said. Leo climbed the stairs and disappeared from sight. Piper turned back to everyone, in time to hear Phoebe's next question.

'This is going to sound strange,' she said, 'but it's really important that we know this, okay? Where... umm... how did you get your name?'

Nicki looked at her as if she was completely mad. 'It's on the back of the photo. See?' she showed Phoebe and Paige what she meant and read it out. '_I'm sorry I never got to know you, P Halliwell._ This was all I had when they found me, and they thought that P Halliwell was my name because they couldn't trace anyone else. Anyway, Phoenix is 'rising from the ashes', because they found me in the doorway of the hospital and thought I couldn't get much lower.'

Paige was looking shocked, Nicki's story was hitting close to home and she wasn't sure how she was feeling about it. Piper looked bemused. 'I don't mean to be rude at all, but if you thought that the P Halliwell on the back of the photo was you, how did you know to come here?'

Nicki took the photo over to the armchair and showed it to Piper, turning it over. 'Look, see the number plate of the car? It says San Francisco on it. I always thought that there could be someone here, because the British social services don't check overseas.' Piper was still staring at the picture. Making out the words 'San Francisco' on the license plate was practically impossible. _She must have spent hours staring at this photo to be able to figure out that. I never even looked at Grams' car that hard._

Phoebe was still looking shocked. 'You mean you came all the way to San Francisco just because of that?'

Nicki walked back to the chair and went back to hugging her knees. 'I didn't have anywhere else to go,' she said quietly. 'I wanted to get out of England, and this is the only other place I know.'

Phoebe wanted to ask her some other questions, but could feel her hostility and reluctance and decided to leave it. She went over to Nicki and sat on the arm of her chair, and started rubbing small circles on her back. 'Hey, it's okay. I have just one more question and then we can explain everything, I promise.' Nicki nodded, and leant over, resting her head on Phoebe's lap. 'Okay, you said upstairs that you get attacked a lot.'

Nicki nodded again and visibly pulled herself together. 'Pretty much every time I left the house I was attacked. Sometimes they had knives; sometimes they threw fire or electricity. That's why I learnt to fight, I needed to. I learnt after a few years that I was getting too old to believe in monsters, so I stopped talking about it and went to the library. I've been reading about warlocks and demons and witches since I was six or seven. I assume you are witches, by the way,' she added nonchalantly. Completely ignoring the look of utter amazement on the sisters' faces, she continued. 'Please,' she said, looking up into Phoebe's eyes, 'can you tell me about my mother now?'

Piper was staring at her. 'Okay, fine, but we are gong to talk about this witch thing later, okay?'

Nicki nodded, and the three sisters looked at each other, as if trying to find the right way to tell Nicki that her mother was dead. Piper and Paige seemed to kind of step back a little, the girl had seemed to bond with Phoebe best, so they felt that she should handle this. Phoebe, noticing this, was trying to find the right words in her head to let her down gently.

'Nicki, honey, we think that you're mother might have been our other sister, Prue,' she started, but was cut off by none other that Nicki herself.

'What do you mean, 'might have been'?'

'Well you see, it's just that Prue... isn't around any more. She died, two years ago.' Nicki looked crushed. Phoebe could feel her disappointment and hopelessness, and didn't notice as tears started running down her own face. _This poor girl is heartbroken. What on earth am I supposed to do?_

Paige then stepped in, as if trying to resolve the situation. 'Don't worry, in our family, people don't tend to stay dead,' she said, reassuringly.

Phoebe turned to look at her. 'Actually, we never could summon Prue,' she said resignedly. 'Or mom, for that matter.'

Paige looked quizzical, she'd never come across that before. 'Why not?'

Piper answered her, but was still looking at Nicki. 'Because we would never accept that she was dead, we were too close to her to be able to accept it.'

Paige was looking thoughtful, as if an idea had suddenly hit her. 'Okay, so you guys can't summon Prue. But maybe Nicki and I can?'

--End of Chapter Four--

Reviews would be appreciated, and constructive criticism would also be very welcome.


	5. Doubt

**Mysterious Midnight** - Yey! I got another review from you! You've now reviewed this story three times! I feel really special! And as for Paige summoning Prue, I wanted her in it and this was how I could do it without contradicting the show. I really wanted to keep this so it agreed with the show on everything. I'm really glad you liked the last chapter; hopefully you'll like this one too.

**JanaRose** - Once again, thank you for your review, you've been with me since the beginning, feeling loved! I know what you mean about Shannon Doherty not going back on the show so they can't summon Prue, that's what I think too. But the wonderful thing about writing fanfic is that she can make an appearance if and when I want her to. I think they said that so that Piper and Phoebe didn't like summon Prue every day, then they couldn't accept that she was dead. That's how I'm working it for this story anyway. Is this going too fast? Should I slow it down a little, add more description or something?

**FanOfBRASH** - I'm really glad that you like my story, I feel very flattered! You said it was outstanding! Wow!

**svata2004** - You've reviewed this before, right? Thanks for your review; I'm so happy you like my story! I feel so loved!

**leojunkie-charmed04** - The way I see it maybe Nicki can summon her because she's never met her, so she already feels separated from her. I'm glad you thought about this, I've been debating it for ages too! Thank you for your review, it was really sweet of you! Hope all is good!

--Chapter Five--

Piper leant back in her chair, and let out a slow breath. 'I think that maybe this is all going a little fast,' she said carefully. 'I mean, we need to think this through before we do anything too drastic.' She was looking at Nicki, but kept glancing uneasily at Paige. _Am I ready to see Prue again? I don't know whether I'd be able to ever let her go if she was right there._

Phoebe knew exactly what Piper was feeling, even though her empathy powers didn't work on her and Paige, because she was feeling exactly the same way. She felt as if her whole world was crumbling because this little girl had arrived, but yet she couldn't find it in her heart to hate her for it. She was also getting worried about Paige. Nicki's life had many parallels to Paige's and she wasn't sure how Paige was handling it. _She's only just become adjusted to being here with us, safe. I think that she thinks Prue might be able to answer all the little doubts she has, but she can't. Only mom can do that, and maybe not even her._

It seemed that Phoebe's power of empathy had really had an affect on the way she thought about other people, because she was spot on about Paige as well. Paige was feeling frustrated, she couldn't believe all that was going on here. It seemed like her world had only just become stable, and now here was this girl threatening to break everything up again. But she, like Phoebe, couldn't find it within herself to resent Nicki, she looked to forlorn and insecure huddling herself in the chair as if she could shut out the world.

Piper let out a long sigh and resignedly threw up her hands, freezing the room and Nicki as well. Paige looked outraged, but Phoebe just looked tired. She'd gone through so much with Cole, and it had taken her so long to get over Prue's death, and she wasn't so sure she even was over it yet. And then this girl came to her house, looking so much like her lost sister, and she wasn't sure what to do. It was Piper who spoke first.

'Let's just assume that all this is true for a moment here, okay?' she said, as if trying to sort it out in her own mind rather than discuss it with her sisters. 'Then this little girl, Nicki, has been targeted by demons and warlocks her entire life. Isn't it incredible that she's still alive?'

'Well, yeah, when you consider that you guys have only been doing it for five years or so, and you're adults,' said Paige. 'And it's not like you haven't lost anything...' she added, as though only just realising what she'd said.

Phoebe was trying to ignore Paige's last comment, and was looking at Nicki, still frozen in her seat. 'How long will she stay like that?' she asked Piper, in a strained voice.

'Another couple of minutes, five at the most,' Piper said, as though she too was in desperate need for a few moments to herself. 'I think we all need a little time. I'm going to go up to the attic and see if I can summon Grams. Maybe she'll have some of the answers we need. I mean, Nicki could be a warlock for all we know, just 'cause she looks like a kid, doesn't mean she is one. After all, she did freeze.'

Phoebe looked up from Nicki and into Piper's eyes. 'She froze because her powers have been bound. And for God's sake, warlocks and demons have been attacking _her_, she hasn't made a single move on us. Piper, can't you see it? She looks so much like Prue did at that age. She looks a little like all of us. Don't you see that?'

At that moment, Nicki unfroze. Piper continued as if she hadn't. 'Yes, Phoebe, of course I see it. But there's no harm in checking, is there? Anyway, I need to go check on Wyatt and talk to Leo.' With that, Piper turned on her heel and walked up the stairs.

Nicki looked completely lost, she had absolutely no idea what was going on. 'See what?' she asked, looking between Phoebe and Paige.

Phoebe looked kindly at her. 'Doesn't matter, honey,' she said, smiling. She turned to Paige, and said, 'Could I see you in the kitchen for a moment please?'

Paige glanced up at Phoebe, who had stood up, and saw the look of urgency in her eyes. 'Sure,' she said. 'Is there anything we can get you?' she asked Nicki, who shook her head.

'No, but could I please use your bathroom?' she asked, as if there was no way that the sisters would let her.

'Of course you can,' Paige answered, smiling at her. 'It's up the stairs and down the hall to the left.'

With a mumbled, 'thank you,' Nicki curled out of her armchair and headed to the stairs. Paige stroked her hair and smiled at her as she passed, and then headed into the kitchen to see what Phoebe wanted.

Phoebe was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, mumbling to herself. 'Don't know what Piper's thinking... how she could say that... Nicki is so innocent, so broken... Piper's just worried...'

Paige cleared her throat loudly, and Phoebe looked up at her. 'Am I interrupting something?' she asked, walking over and sitting down at the table. 'What did you want to talk about?'

Phoebe noisily pulled out another chair and sat down. 'Nicki,' she said resignedly, 'what else? What do you think about all this, anyway? You've been kind of quiet.'

Paige looked thoughtful, as if she was choosing her words very carefully. 'I think that we need to know a lot more about all of this before we come to any kind of decision,' she said, staring down at her hands, as if they held the answers to her burning questions. 'I mean, from the photos I've seen, she looks a lot like Prue, but we can't be certain until we've spoken to someone, Grams, her foster parents in England...' she hesitated as if unsure whether to say more, but decided that she might as well, 'maybe even Prue...' Paige was scrutinising Phoebe's face, trying to see her reaction to Prue's name. She was surprised when Phoebe merely nodded.

'I know,' she said, quietly. 'We really have to talk to Prue about all of this. Do you think you could summon her, really?'

Paige nodded excitedly. 'Of course, I mean, I've never really tried, but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to. I never actually met her, so I think I'm in with a chance. Even if I can't do it alone, Nicki might be able to help me, if she really is Prue's daughter.'

'I wanted to talk to you about that, as well,' Phoebe said, standing up and starting to make some more coffee. 'Where do we stand, legally, if we wanted her to come and live with us?'

Paige looked shocked, having evidently not looked that far ahead yet. 'Well, as blood relatives, we shouldn't have that many problems,' she said. 'We'd probably all have to do a DNA test, you know, to prove it. And then we'd have to go through Social Services, and contact her social worker in England. All in all, it would probably take around a month.'

'Where would she stay during that month?' asked Phoebe.

'Pretty much wherever she wanted to,' Paige replied. 'But if she wanted to stay here, we'd need to get the ball rolling, she can't stay here without Social Services being aware of it; it's against the law, after all, she is a minor. We could talk to Darryl, that might buy us a couple of days until we're ready to go to South Bay, and then I can go through it all with Mr Cowan. There shouldn't be that much of a problem, so long as they're okay about it in England.'

Phoebe came back to the table, carrying two mugs of coffee. 'Okay, that's good, I guess. It's all a little much to take in, you know?' She lay her head down onto her hands, breathing deeply.

Paige smoothed her hair reassuringly. 'I know. It's all gonna be okay, you'll see.'

It took Nicki a few seconds to find the bathroom. _This house is so big, it's like a maze. I've never been in a house this huge before._ She locked the door behind her and leant against it, sighing deeply. She went over to the mirror and just looked at herself. She'd been doing this every day for as long as she could remember, as if somewhere in her face she could see her mother; get some comfort from seeing her mother in her. The problem was she didn't know what her mother looked like, so she didn't know whether she was there or not. Looking at her face now, she could see a little resemblance, to Phoebe, and Piper, and a little to Paige as well. It was as if she was finally seeing her family there.

Wyatt was sleeping soundly in his crib when Piper came in, Leo rocking him silently. Piper smiled sadly, just watching them for a little while, the two most important men in her world. She cleared her throat, and Leo looked up.

'Piper, how is everything going downstairs?' he asked, seeing the hurt in her eyes.

Piper broke down into tears, and Leo rushed over to comfort her. 'Shhh, it's okay. What happened?'

Piper was speaking through her sobs, disjointed phrases. 'Nicki looks so much like Prue... I can't look at her... why did Prue have to go... she left me here and I can't be without her... maybe Nicki's a warlock... gotta talk to Grams...'

Leo was hugging his wife, rocking her to and fro. He hadn't seen her like this since Prue died, he'd thought she'd gotten over it, but obviously not. After several minutes, Piper calmed down, and dried her eyes on a Kleenex Leo offered her from the box on Wyatt's changing table.

'I'm sorry,' she said, trying to fix her mascara in their bedroom mirror. 'It just seems a little too much right now, that's all. I was gonna go summon Grams to ask her about it, but I'm not sure if I can.'

Leo looked at his beautiful wife, and smiled reassuringly at her. 'Of course you can Piper; you're one of the strongest people I know. You should give Nicki a chance you know, she might be a link to Prue that you shouldn't let go. You know that, don't you?'

Piper looked at his reflection in the mirror. 'When did you get so clear-headed?' she asked, smiling back at him.

'Oh, me?' Leo said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, smiling. 'I've always been clear-headed, except of course when it comes to either you or Wyatt. Then I'm as cloudy as the next person.'

Piper laughed, and leant back into his embrace for a few seconds. Then, she stood up, and grabbed his hand. 'Come on then, let's go talk to my dead grandmother, see what she has to say about all of this.'

Leo grinned as she literally pulled him up the stairs to the attic. 'That's my girl,' he said, not even loud enough for Piper to hear him.

--End of Chapter Five--

Please tell me what you think, and which areas you think I can improve on! You just press the little button down there.


	6. A Little Clarity

Just to apologise to everyone, I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long for me to write! I have great plans for this story but am suffering from a little writers' block right now. Again, I am really sorry for the wait...

**Mysterious Midnight** - Once again, thanks so much for your review! You were the first again (how do you do that, by the way?), it's so nice getting practically immediate response from you! Yey!

**JanaRose** - Oh my God, I don't believe that Shannen Doherty is fighting the release of the DVDs! Really? That is so mean, I keep missing episodes and I find it really annoying. I really hope she isn't, because I kind of like her... Anyway, thanks again for your review, this is becoming somewhat of a pattern now, isn't it?

**PaganPhoenix** - Flattery will get you everywhere! Or at least a special little mention in my Hall of Fame here. Thanks so much for your review, I was all glowing inside when I read it!

**FanOfBRASH** - I'm glad I make your mornings just that little more exciting, I hope this makes you feel good about going to work! Thank you for your review, sorry it took so long for me to update.

**naiya-isis** - I know what you mean about Piper, but then I think I would accept it better coming from my mother than my sister as well!

--Chapter Six--

Nicki was still in the bathroom. She turned her back on the mirror, and all those niggling questions in her mind, and sank to the floor, her back against the door. She hugged her knees for reassurance and rocked to and fro, just thinking. _What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here. They don't want me here, I'm just complicating everything._

Meanwhile, Piper had entered the attic, with Leo right behind her. She walked purposefully toward the pedestal holding the Book of Shadows, and started turning the pages absentmindedly.

'So what do you think about all of this?' she asked, looking at Leo out of the corner of her eyes.

'Me?' he said, as if he was surprised that she'd asked. 'I think that you need to ask Grams, and maybe Prue if you can, and then talk all this through until you all agree. If it helps,' he walked up behind her and turned the book onto the right page, 'I can't sense any evil around her at all.'

Piper turned to face him and looked at him quizzically. 'But haven't you been watching us our entire lives? Don't you already know whether she's telling the truth or not?'

Leo stepped back, and began setting the candles up in a circle on the floor of the attic and lighting them. 'Yes, I do know. But I can't tell you, it wouldn't be right. Anyway,' he indicated to the candles, 'you'll find out soon enough.'

Piper glared at him. 'Whatever, we'll talk about your secrets later.' She ran her fingers along the spell in the big, leather-bound book, and then started to read aloud. 'Hear my voice, hear my cry, spirit from the other side, come to me I summon thee, cross now the great divide.'

A bright light shone from inside the circle, and formed itself into a very transparent Grams. 'Piper,' she said, smiling at her grandchild, 'what a lovely surprise. You really should summon me more often, you know.' Her eyes drifted around the attic, and settled on Leo. 'Leo,' she said shortly, nodding her head in his direction.

'Hello, Mrs Halliwell,' Leo said pleasantly. Grams ignored him completely. Piper rolled her eyes in Leo's direction, and then turned back to Grams.

'Grams,' she began slowly, choosing her words carefully, 'I need to talk to you about Prue...'

Grams interrupted her. 'Piper, we've talked about this before,' she said decisively. 'You can't summon Prue; we've been through this so many times. I thought you were moving on with your life?'

Piper glared at her. 'If you would let me speak,' she started, the venom in her voice evident. 'I actually wanted to talk to you about when Prue was younger. Let's say when she was seventeen. Anything you want to tell me? Anything you feel like sharing?'

Grams' already transparent face became visibly paler, although she tried to act nonchalant and shake it off. 'Of course not, Piper. What on earth are you talking about?'

'Oh Grams, you know exactly what I'm talking about,' Piper said dismissively. 'I want you to tell me what really happened when Prue was attacked.'

'Well,' Grams started, pacing around inside the circle of candles. 'I guess you've probably figured out that it was a demon that attacked her. His name is Deimos, at least it was before I vanquished his sorry ass. He's in the Book... er... I think near the beginning.'

Piper walked over to the Book of Shadows, and started turning the pages. 'Although this information is always good to know,' she said, not taking her eyes from the pages she was turning, 'that's not what I was talking about.'

Grams looked alarmed. 'Oh dear,' she said, playing with her necklace, 'Patty is not going to be very happy that I told you that. What did you want to know then?'

'I wanted to know what happened after that, why you sent her to England,' Piper said. Leo came up behind her and looked at the Book, whilst Piper lifted her eyes up to Grams.

Penny smiled at her. 'You know why I sent her to stay with Margie, Piper. She just needed a little time to get her head together, that's all,' she said, as if happy to be back on familiar ground.

Piper smirked at her. 'Uh huh,' she said, sighing. 'Look, cut the crap Grams. There is a girl downstairs who claims to be Prue's daughter, born in England, surprise surprise.'

Grams looked shocked. 'She's... she's here?'

Piper stared at her with her mouth hanging open. 'You knew? Were you ever going to tell us?' Leo started to rub her shoulders supportively but she shrugged him away.

'Prue begged me not to,' Grams said, her eyes pleading with Piper's. 'You were all too young...'

'And you let the baby be put up for adoption? Knowing full well that we were going to become the Charmed Ones?' Piper was incredulous. 'How could you do that?' she said, with an accusatory tone.

'Piper, it wasn't my decision,' Grams said, soothingly. 'They gave the orders, once Prue decided to keep it.' Her eyes drifted upwards.

Piper moved to leave the attic. 'They have a lot to answer to,' she muttered under her breath. Her foot caught on the corner of the rug, and she threw her hands up to steady herself. The large dresser in the corner of the attic blew up. 'That's just great,' Piper muttered again, picking herself up off of the floor, leaving Grams and Leo staring at each other. 'More cleaning up for me to do...'

The sound of the explosion reverberated throughout the house. Phoebe and Paige were still in the kitchen, drinking their coffee. Wyatt started to scream, and they heard the bathroom door open. Phoebe smiled tiredly to Paige.

'Which one do you want to take?' she asked, getting up from the table.

Paige followed suit. 'I'll take Wyatt,' she said. 'Babies are much less complicated.' She smiled to Phoebe and then left the kitchen, heading for the nursery.

Phoebe sighed and took their cups over to the sink. She took half a dozen cookies from the jar on the worktop, put them on a plate and climbed the stairs, meeting Nicki in the hallway.

'Do you want to come into my room and have a chat?' she asked, noticing that Wyatt's screams were quietening down. She offered Nicki a chocolate-chip cookie.

Nicki grabbed it from her hand and smiled. 'Okay,' she said, following Phoebe down the corridor. She took a large bite from the cookie and swallowed it almost immediately. It was such a nice feeling to get some food into her stomach.

As Phoebe went to close the door, she saw Nicki wolfing down the rest of the cookie and smiled. 'Come, sit over here,' she said, leading Nicki over to her bed and sitting on it. She took another cookie off of the plate and started to nibble at it, and she handed the rest of the plate over to Nicki.

Nicki smiled again as she took it, and she hungrily bit into another cookie. 'Thanks,' she mumbled through her mouthful of chocolate chips.

'That's okay,' Phoebe answered, chuckling to herself. 'But you might want to slow down a bit, you'll choke,' she said, grinning.

Nicki swallowed, and didn't take another bite just yet. 'Okay,' she said. 'Sure.'

Phoebe sat back a little, and then spoke slowly. 'What did you mean about us being witches?' she asked, looking at Nicki out of the corner of her eyes.

Nicki looked at her quizzically. 'Well you are, aren't you?' she said, almost defiantly.

Phoebe blushed a little. 'Well, yes, but you know, most people don't believe that.'

'Well I do,' Nicki said, taking another bite from her cookie.

'Why do you?' Phoebe asked, curiously. 'I mean, why doesn't it surprise you at all?'

Nicki swallowed again and looked at Phoebe. 'Most people stop believing in monsters when they're about six, right?' she asked.

Phoebe nodded in reply; she didn't want to give Nicki any reason to clam up again.

'Well I didn't,' Nicki continued, talking slowly but with growing confidence. 'I kept seeing them, whenever I was out of the house. When I didn't stop talking about the monsters, my foster parents handed in a report to Social Services, saying I was backward or something, so I kept getting moved around. After a while I learned that if I didn't talk about them, then it was easier to stay in one place. So when I was eight or so, I didn't talk about the monsters any more.'

Phoebe looked shocked. _This girl has been dealing with demons and warlocks her entire life. How can she talk about them so calmly?_

Nicki had finished her second cookie, and was starting on her third. 'I never stopped believing in them, because they were still there. I used to go to the library to read about them. A lot of children's fairy stories have demons in there somewhere, you know.'

Phoebe smiled at her, remembering her wonderful experience as Cinderella, and took another bite of her cookie. Piper's cooking sure was good.

'I learnt a lot about demons, warlocks, and witches from books in the libraries of all the towns I lived in. I also took kick-boxing classes after school, so I could fight them when they caught me. I used to run away,' she said, by way of explanation. 'Not the bravest thing to do, but hey.'

Phoebe looked at her disbelieving. 'You stayed alive,' she said. 'You must have been doing something right.' Nicki looked up at her, finishing off another cookie. 'You know, we can get you something proper to eat in the kitchen,' she said, smiling at Nicki and standing up, straightening her skirt and putting her cookie onto her bedside table. 'Something green.' She offered her hand to Nicki.

Nicki took it with the hand not holding the plate of cookies, and also stood up. 'Really?' she asked.

Phoebe chuckled. 'Really.'

'Okay' Nicki said, and the two of them walked down the stairs.

--End of Chapter Six--

Please review and tell me what you think, and ask any burning questions, I will try to answer them unless they give too much away!


	7. Starting to Deal

Again, more excuses. I am very, very sorry, the internet has been playing up, it's been logging me out constantly for like, two weeks! I have been getting serious withdrawals, but anyway, here is another chapter...

**Mysterious Midnight** - I'm really glad you liked the dialogue, I'm never really sure about whether the characters sound right! Thanks for reviewing; you were the first, again!

**JanaRose** - I hope the DVDs come out soon too, I'd love to catch up on the episodes I've missed, there's only two or three, but it's so annoying! Your reviews are always so nice, and also constructive, which is always good.

**FanOfBRASH** - I'm so glad you like my story; really, it gives me a little happy feeling inside! If you want me to help with your story then you can always e-mail me, my address is on my author page, I'd be happy to see if I can help, although I'm not even so sure I'm so good, but hey, you seem to like it, right?

**hazza123 **- I'm really happy that you like my story, thanks for reviewing! I do plan on giving Nicki powers, but not for a little while yet.

**Pruedence.Halliwell **- Yep, Nicki's dad is a demon, so she's half-demon, like Cole. But she's also half-witch, which makes her innately good, and demons know she's the daughter of a Charmed One, so they really don't want her to come into her powers. I'm so glad that you thought about it, at least I know that people are reading it thoroughly, so thanks for your review!

**Brooklyn Turner** - I'm really glad that you liked my story! Thank-you for reviewing!

**naiya-isis** - I know what you mean about them! Prue couldn't keep the baby because she had a really great destiny to fulfil, and they didn't want to jeopardise that. And as for making sure that the baby had magical protection, I have something planned along those lines, so watch this space! Thank once again for your review!

--Chapter Seven--

Phoebe opened the door of her bedroom, holding Nicki's hand in her spare one. They were heading to the stairs when Piper came down from the attic, looking obviously flustered.

'You two,' she said abruptly, as she caught sight of them. 'Downstairs, now, we have to talk.'

Nicki shrank back, looking apprehensive, but Phoebe smiled and pulled her gently towards the stairs, whilst Piper went into the nursery to get Paige.

'Don't worry about her,' she said, as they entered the kitchen. 'Piper's a little... highly strung sometimes.' Phoebe sat Nicki down at the table and walked over to the kitchen cabinets. She opened several, and then frowned. 'What would you like to eat?' she asked. 'We have lots of ingredients, but no real food. Cereal?' she offered.

Nicki nodded, 'Okay,' she said. She watched as Phoebe took a box of Weet-Bix from the cupboard.

Piper walked into the kitchen, with Paige on her heels. She looked back and forth between Phoebe and the cereal box quizzically. 'Phoebs,' she said, sitting down at the breakfast bar, 'cereal? It's like, six pm.'

Phoebe sighed, and looked at her whilst she walked over to the fridge to get milk. 'It's not for me,' she said. 'It's for Nicki, she hasn't eaten in like, three days?' she questioned, looking over to Nicki for confirmation. Nicki nodded. 'Besides, we don't have any real food.'

Piper sighed long-sufferingly, and put the Weet-Bix box back in the cupboard. 'Phoebe, how many times do I have to tell you? I go grocery shopping on Fridays, so it's not likely that we'd have much on a Thursday, is it?' Phoebe smiled sheepishly, and Piper continued. 'Besides, there's plenty here, you just have to cook it. Would you like me to make you an omelette or something?' she asked Nicki.

'Sure,' Nicki replied. 'That would be really nice, thank-you,' she added, quickly, as if she was afraid Piper would start scolding her too.

Piper went to the fridge and got out some eggs, cheese and ham, and took some black pepper from the herb cupboard. 'Can you two go wait in the living room?' she asked Phoebe and Paige. 'I'll be in in a minute.'

'Sure,' Paige said, catching Piper's eye significantly. She grabbed Phoebe's elbow and glared at her to stop her protesting, as she steered her out of the room.

'Thanks,' Piper said, as she took a pan from the bottom cupboard and poured the egg into it, and threw in the cheese and ham that she'd just chopped. She ground some black pepper onto the omelette, and then took a knife and fork from the cutlery drawer and took them over to the table to Nicki.

'Here,' she said, as she handed them to her. 'How are you doing?' she asked, as she walked back over to the oven and turned the omelette over onto a plate, and, turning off the hob, she took the plate over to Nicki.

'I'm okay,' Nicki replied, through a mouthful of omelette. 'This is really good, thanks.'

Piper smiled sadly at her. _How can we tell her about her mom and... dad? No child should ever have to deal with that._ 'That's okay,' Piper replied, as she stood up. 'Umm, I'm gonna go talk to Paige and Phoebe, there's a bottle of water in the fridge, and ketchup and salad and stuff, help yourself. You'll be okay?'

Nicki nodded, her mouth still full. She swallowed forcefully and smiled up at Piper. 'Yeah, thank-you.'

Piper smiled again, and squeezed her shoulder as she walked through into the living room.

Paige and Phoebe were sitting on the couch when Piper walked in. Paige sat up straighter as Piper sat down in the armchair.

'So, what did Grams tell you that just couldn't wait?' she said, in an accusatory tone.

Phoebe put a hand on her arm, and eased her back onto the couch, calming her almost immediately. 'What did she say about Nicki?' she asked, looking urgently at Piper. 'What's going on?'

Piper took a deep breath. 'Well, it turns out that Prue did have a child in England.' She sat back heavily into the armchair and closed her eyes, still breathing deeply. 'By a demon.'

Paige looked shocked, but Phoebe just looked tired. 'What do you mean, a demon?' Paige asked, before she could help herself.

'It means,' Phoebe said, also leaning back into the couch as if for support, 'that our sister's ex, Justin, was a demon, called...?' she looked over to Piper for an answer.

Piper still had her eyes closed, but filled in anyway. 'Deimos, apparently. Grams vanquished him, after what he did to Prue.'

Paige looked as though she was putting the pieces together in her mind. 'So Prue was... raped... by a demon? When she was sixteen?'

Piper nodded. 'Yeah,' she said, tiredly. She was leaning back into the armchair, letting the events of the day wash over her.

Paige was still looking puzzled. 'So, Nicki is half-demon, and half-witch?'

Phoebe answered, because it looked like Piper had had as much as she could take. 'Yeah, apparently. What else did Grams say?' she asked Piper.

Piper drew her knees up to her chest, and looked at Phoebe. 'Not a lot, you can ask her if you want, she's in the attic with Leo,' she smiled mischievously over her knees.

Phoebe chuckled. 'You left Grams with Leo? Do you think we should go upstairs and break them up?'

All three of them stood up, the mood lightened slightly. They were walking up the stairs when Nicki timidly came out of the kitchen, yawning behind her hand. The sisters stopped half-way up the stairs when they noticed her in the hall. All three of them looked at her, their eyes filled with a mixture of pity and confusion.

It was Phoebe who spoke. 'You sleepy, honey?' Her voice was soft, and she walked back down the stairs and took Nicki's backpack from the corner of the hall.

'Uh huh,' Nicki said, hiding another yawn. 'Umm, do you want me to go?' She said quickly, looking at the floor as she took her bag from Phoebe and slung it over her back.

Phoebe did a double take and grabbed Nicki's elbow as she tried to pass her to get to the door. 'Whoa, there, of course not! Hey, come upstairs, it's okay,' she steered Nicki towards the stairs.

'Really?' Nicki asked, looking up at Piper and Paige, who were still standing half-way up the stairs.

'Of course,' Piper said, as Paige nodded. 'It's not like we'd let you leave, you don't have anywhere else to go,' she smiled warmly at Nicki, who smiled back, a little unsure.

'You can stay in my room, if that's okay with you,' Phoebe said, as they joined Piper and Paige and they all reached the top of the stairs. They went into Phoebe's room, and Nicki sat down on the floor.

Phoebe chuckled again. 'Don't be silly, honey. You take the bed,' she said, offering Nicki her hand so she could get up.

'Are you serious?' Nicki asked incredulously. 'But where will you sleep?'

Phoebe pulled her up of the floor and sat her on the bed, smiling. 'I'll take the couch, honestly, I'll be fine.'

Nicki stood up looking lost. 'Really? I mean, I couldn't do that. I'll sleep on the couch.'

Paige stepped in. 'Okay. Nicki, you take Phoebe's bed, and Phoebe can sleep with me. Alright?' She smiled, and pushed Nicki gently back onto the bed.

Nicki looked at her. 'Alright,' she said reluctantly. 'If that's okay with you,' she said, turning to Phoebe.

'Of course that's okay with me,' Phoebe said. 'I'll just get my things.' She walked over to the bed and took her pyjamas from under the pillow and grabbed a hair tie from her dresser.

Piper, who had been hovering over by the door, came and sat next to Nicki on the bed. 'The sheets are clean, I changed them this morning. Not that Phoebe would notice, all her sheets are the same,' she said, trying to make Nicki laugh.

It partly worked, Nicki smiled and looked a little more relaxed than scared. 'Thank-you,' she said.

Phoebe smiled. 'I'll just go set these down in your room, Paige, if that's okay?'

'Sure,' Paige answered. 'I'll just go make my bed.'

Piper, who had been watching her sisters, turned back to Nicki. 'Are you okay?' she asked, with concern evident in her voice.

Nicki looked up from the floor, which she had been staring at intently. 'What? Oh yeah, thanks, I'm fine.'

'Okay,' Piper said, not sure whether to believe her or not. 'Well, I'll go get you a nightshirt or something, okay?'

Nicki nodded, and went back to staring at the little spot on the floor, completely absentmindedly.

When Piper came back into the room a minute or two later holding a grey tank top and a pair of pink pyjama trousers, Nicki was looking not a the floor, but at the photo she'd pulled out of her pocket.

'Is this really you?' she asked Piper, when she noticed that she'd come back into the room.

Piper sat down next to her again, putting the pyjamas onto Phoebe's pillow. 'Yeah huh,' she said, looking over Nicki's shoulder. 'That's Phoebe, looking stubborn, as usual, that's me, and that's your... mom.' She stopped short, but seeing the pleading look in Nicki's eyes, she started to talk again slowly. 'Prue, your mom, I mean, and Phoebe, they used to argue a lot. But Prue had this angelic face that used to get her out of anything. See?' she gestured towards the photo, where Prue was indeed looking as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. 'It took another couple of years after that photo was taken before Phoebe learnt how to do that.' Piper smiled, reminiscently.

Nicki gently folded the photo and put it into the front pocket of her backpack. Piper jerked out of her daze, and looked back at her.

'Where was I?' she asked herself. 'Oh, right. There's a spare toothbrush on the top shelf of the bathroom cabinet, help yourself. Do you want a glass of water or anything?'

Nicki shook her head. 'No thank-you. I'll be fine.'

Piper stood up to leave the room. 'Well, if you need anything, we'll be around, just come and ask one of us,' she said, before opening Phoebe's door.

'Thanks,' Nicki said quietly. 'Thanks a lot,' she said, once Piper had left the room. She looked around the room, at Phoebe's vanity table, her bursting wardrobe. Her eyes lingered on a picture on her bedside table of Phoebe, Piper and Prue, taken at Piper's wedding. _So that is what my mum looks like._

Piper's feet has carried her downstairs to the kitchen once she'd left Nicki, even though she was planning on going to check on Wyatt. She could hear Phoebe and Paige upstairs in the attic with Grams and Leo, it sounded like they were having the same conversation that she'd had with Grams. As she entered the kitchen, she saw Nicki's plate neatly put over by the sink with an empty water bottle. She'd obviously gotten some salad from the fridge, but she'd left all the tomatoes. _Just like Prue always did._ Piper brushed the tears angrily away from her hot cheeks.

--End of Chapter Seven--

You see the little button, bottom left of the screen? If you hit it and then write something (preferably relevant), you will make me very, very happy!


	8. Father Figure

**Mysterious Midnight** - Yep, you were the first again! It makes me so happy! Happy, happy, happy dance. Thanks so much for reviewing, as usual.

**Angelina28Rose **- You used to be JanaRose, right? Just checking. I hope history wasn't too dull, but I'm glad you remembered my story! Your review was really very nice, and thank you for the cookies, they were good, like Piper's.

**SJ/SASA-16** - I'm really glad that you like my story! Thank-you so much for reviewing, it really makes my day!

**hazza123 **- Thanks for your review, I'm so happy you like it, it make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when people review!

**Pruedence.Halliwell** - I don't want the sisters to forget about Prue either, and you're right, they do a little in the show. But then, it must be really difficult for them, because their oldest sister dies, and like a week later they find another one. Anyway, I guess Nicki is a little bit of Prue that they can all share and keep alive. Thanks for your review, once again!

--Chapter Eight--

Five minutes later, Piper was putting away the dishes when Phoebe, Paige and Leo came into the kitchen, Phoebe carrying the Book of Shadows. She laid it on the breakfast bar, open.

'Look, Piper,' Phoebe said gently, as Piper closed the last cupboard and turned towards them. 'This is Deimos.'

Leo put the baby monitor down next to the Book, and went to stand next to Piper; she'd frozen as soon as Phoebe had finished talking. He put his arms around her soothingly and lightly steered her over to the others, but she resisted.

She shrugged Leo's arms off of her shoulders, fire in her eyes. 'I'm sorry,' she said, as if she was anything but sorry, 'but I don't want to read about the demon who raped my sister.' She was walking over to the door, but she turned round and grabbed her purse from the counter. 'If you need me, I'll be at P3.'

Paige, who had been hanging back slightly, spoke up. 'If you can't do it for you, then you can at least do it for the fourteen-year-old upstairs.' Her voice was harsh, and she looked as if she was crackling with electricity, there was so much passion in her stance. Suddenly, she softened, and seemed to retreat back into herself. 'She needs to know where she comes from, who she is. The least we can do is help her to deal with this.' The undertones were evident to everyone in the room, and Paige's words echoed in their heads, leaving an uncomfortable silence.

Piper, although not yet sure about anything, sat back down at the table. Paige picked up the Book and brought it over, placing it down, open, in front of Piper.

Piper began to read aloud. ''Deimos, an upper level demon, does not answer to the Source', so he's pretty powerful then?' she asked Leo.

'He was,' Leo said, sitting down at the table next to Piper. He gestured for her to continue.

''He is also known as the Demon of Terror. He aims to breed with witches to create an extremely powerful magical heir, and to raise the child as his own.'' Piper stopped talking, but the reason was evident to everyone. Phoebe had gone pale, and had leant against the counter for support. Paige moved over to her side.

'You okay?' she asked, her eyes full of concern.

'Yeah.' Phoebe answered, but no colour was returning to her face. 'I'm just a bit... shaken, I guess.'

Piper stood up and walked over to Phoebe and Paige, she put one hand on Phoebe's shoulder and the other on her chin. 'Look at me, honey,' she said; Phoebe's eyes had fallen downwards, her breathing laboured. 'Look at me,' she lifted Phoebe's chin, looking into her eyes, which were filled with fear. Phoebe's eyes finally settled on her sister's, and her breathing slowly returned to normal. 'You're okay,' Piper said, smiling sadly as she drew Phoebe into a hug. 'It's all going to be okay,' she said, holding an arm out to Paige, who joined them.

Phoebe was the first to draw back, a little colour coming back to her cheeks. 'I'll be fine,' she said, smiling slightly. 'But I'm not sure I can say the same about Nicki.' She went over to the sink and got herself a glass of water. 'Leo, can you keep reading?' she asked, her back turned to the others so they couldn't see the unwanted tears running freely down her cheeks. _God, Cole, why did you have to do it? I don't understand..._

None of the others noticed the slight waver in her voice, and Leo continued from where Piper had left off. ''If the child is not as powerful as Deimos sought after, then he kills both the mother and the baby, and finds a more powerful witch and tries again.'' Leo paused at the end of the passage. 'There isn't a vanquishing potion, so your Grams must have made one from scratch. Look, there's a picture,' he turned the book around so that Piper and Paige could see.

Phoebe wiped her eyes and checked her reflection in the window, which showed the back garden in deep shadow. Satisfied that there was no evidence of her tears, she brought her glass of water with her as she went over to look at the book with the others, sitting down next to Paige, who had sat to get a better view of the Book. The picture showed Deimos as looking pretty much human, although his skin was ice blue, and his eyes glowed with a red flame.

'He could shapeshift,' Leo said, 'and throw electricity. He could also shield other demonic powers and shimmer. His shield was what made him almost unstoppable.'

Paige looked thoughtful. 'The most powerful witches are us right? I mean, the Charmed Ones?' she asked Leo.

He looked up at her. 'Yes, of course, you know that.' He chuckled slightly. Phoebe and Piper both turned to her as well.

'So,' Paige continued, willing everyone else to see what she'd seen. 'If Prue was one of the most powerful witches, then Nicki is the powerful baby that Deimos wanted.'

Comprehension dawned on the faces of her sisters, but Leo merely nodded. Piper looked shocked. 'So she's evil?' she asked Leo, disbelievingly. 'You said she was good!'

'She isn't either yet,' Leo said, putting his hand onto Piper's arm to calm her. 'Grams bound her powers as soon as Prue found out she was pregnant. So when she gets them back again, she can be either good or evil. It depends on who she's influenced by. If you don't believe me, then look. The passage says that Deimos would have to raise her for her to be evil, otherwise she will just be 'extremely powerful'.' The sisters took a second look at the Book, and saw that Leo was right.

'So what are her powers?' Paige asked. 'What can she do?'

'I don't know,' Leo said. 'She's never had the chance to find out. Your Grams cast a Safety spell on her, so she could never be attacked when she was in a place she could call home, or when she was with someone else. That would have broken now, when she came in contact with you. It was good while it lasted though; it gave her the chance to have a normal childhood.'

Phoebe stood up, putting the still full glass of water down roughly, not noticing how some of it spilled over her hand and onto the table. 'What the hell do you mean, a 'normal childhood'! That girl has been hunted by demons her entire life, shifted between foster homes like a spare piece of luggage!'

Paige also stood up, and put her hand on Phoebe's shoulder, as much to hold her back as to calm her down. 'It's okay,' she said, quietly, gently pushing Phoebe back down to sit at the table with her. 'At least she's here safe, and at least she's okay, well, as okay as can be expected.'

Piper interrupted her. 'So we have to unbind her powers?' she asked, 'because the Safety spell's broken?'

'You could,' Leo said, 'or you could recast the spell. Here,' he added, flipping through the Book's pages. He stopped when he reached a page headed 'A Spell for Safety'.

'Or we could ask her what she wants to do,' Phoebe said, still slightly angry. 'She is fourteen; she can make up her own mind.'

'Hang on a second,' Piper said, as if something had just occurred to her. 'So I accept that Prue had a baby, well I don't accept it yet, but I know it. But how can we be certain that the baby is Nicki?' Everyone looked slightly shocked, as if that thought had never occurred to them. 'I know all the signs are pointing that way,' Piper continued, because Phoebe looked as if she was about to argue, 'the photo, and the way she looks, and everything, but we should really be sure.'

Phoebe was the first to come up with a solution. 'We could cast the 'To Find a Lost Witch' spell,' she said. 'But we'd have to change it slightly, because she's not a witch yet, and because we really don't want to freak her out.' She stood up, and got some sage, some dandelion root and some thyme from the herb cupboard, and a couple of large bowls from another cupboard. She went to the sink and half-filled one with water, and then put everything onto the table. Meanwhile, Piper had turned the Book to the right page. 'I got the idea from the Zen master, remember?' she said, looking excitedly between her sisters.

Paige still looked confused. 'What?' she asked, frowning at the page of the Book.

'The water is a sort of portal, so we should be able to see her.' Comprehension dawned on Paige's face. 'Right, so if we switch 'witches' for 'sisters', and 'return to me', for 'show her to me', then it should work. Paige, can you go up to the attic and get three white candles, and...' she looked at the Book for confirmation, 'some red ribbon and a clean athame.'

Paige disappeared in a swirl of bright lights, and they could hear her as she fell over in the attic with a crash. Everyone winced.

'I thought she'd got the orbing thing down?' Leo asked, looking at Piper and Phoebe.

Piper chuckled a little. 'She has. Remember the dresser I blew up? Well I didn't have a chance to pick it up yet.'

A few minutes later, Paige orbed back into the kitchen. 'Damn dresser,' she muttered, as she set the candles down onto the table and lit them.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged a small smile. 'Okay,' Phoebe said, tying the herbs up with the ribbon and putting the bundle into the bowl. 'You ready?'

Paige and Piper nodded, and together they began to chant. 'Powers of the sisters rise, course unseen across the skies, come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here. Blood to blood I call to thee, blood to blood show her to me,'

Phoebe cut the tip of her finger with the athame, let one drop of blood fall in the bowl with the herbs, and another into the water. She handed the athame round to Piper, who did the same, and then handed it to Paige. Paige reluctantly followed suit, she hated cutting into her own skin. She let a drop fall on the herb bundle, and then one into the bowl of water.

As the last drop of blood fell from Paige's finger, it slowed down. It fell into the centre of the bowl of water, and the ripples, instead of stopping, increased. A white light was shining from the surface of the water, and suddenly the ripples stopped, leaving a glowing surface. The three sisters leaned in a little closer as the light faded slightly, forming a picture. There, in the surface of the water, was Nicki, curled up asleep in Phoebe's bed. Without even knowing it, all the sisters let a protective smile escape, as they gazed down at their niece.

--End of Chapter Eight--

Please review and let me know what you liked, or didn't. Any constructive criticism is completely welcome.


	9. Decisions Over Dinner

**Mysterious Midnight** - Nope, you weren't the first! But your reviews are always worth waiting for, like Christmas. Yey, it's Christmas soon!

**CuteLittleBritt** - Thank you so much for your review, it was really nice!

**hazza123** - Gotta love your reviews, compliments will get you everywhere!

**Pruedence.Halliwell** - I was always slightly annoyed that Phoebe and Piper never really told Paige about Prue too, it always seemed a little unfair to her. And they never talk about her any more either. I don't like it! Thanks, as always, for your review!

**Susan** - Wow, you put a lot of thought into that list, didn't you! Thanks for all your suggestions, I don't want to make Nicki too powerful, because the Charmed Ones are meant to be the most powerful of all, but when her powers begin to advance, watch out for some of your ideas, I'll keep them in mind!

--Chapter Nine--

Once the sisters had cleared up the remnants of the spell and returned the Book to the attic, they all sat down at the kitchen table. Paige was playing with the baby monitor, turning it round and round in her hands, and Leo was leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed. Phoebe had her cheek resting on her arms, and she was looking at Piper. Piper, never having been able to sit still, had stood up and started making dinner. She'd put some pasta on to cook with a little butter, and was stirring a tomato sauce, slowly adding some basil. There was some chiabatta bread cooking gently in the oven.

Five minutes later, the kitchen was starting to smell gorgeous. Piper went over to the sink and drained the pasta into a bowl.

'Paige,' she said, as she put on some oven gloves, 'could you lay the table for me?'

Paige set the baby monitor on the side next to the phone. 'Sure,' she said, taking some cutlery out of the drawer. Phoebe and Leo both also got up without being asked, although nobody was talking. The silence wasn't uncomfortable; it seemed natural, as though everyone was concentrating more on their thoughts than on filling the space. Leo put four place-settings down, and Phoebe covered them with some large white plates. Paige set out the cutlery, and Leo went to get some glasses.

'Water or wine?' he said, holding up a tumbler in one hand and a wine glass in the other.

'Wine,' all three of the sisters said. Piper turned away from the stove, bread on a plate, and met both Phoebe's and Paige's eyes, smiling slightly.

Leo set the glasses out and took a bottle of red wine from the cupboard. Piper brought the pasta, Paige grabbed the boat of sauce, and Phoebe took the bread, and everyone sat down around the table.

They ate in silence for several minutes, and to everyone's surprise it was Piper who broke it. She'd seemed the one most troubled by the current circumstances, but it appeared as if she was trying to make up for it.

'So,' she said, absentmindedly stirring her pasta, 'what does everybody think about all this then?'

Her words were greeted by more silence, everyone looked up, but no-one really knew what to say. It fell to Phoebe to speak, a fact silently decided by everybody else.

'I think that we've got a couple of things we need to talk about,' she said slowly, looking back down at her plate. 'Although it's Nicki's decision in the end of course, do we want her to come and live here with us?'

The lack of uproar at this showed that everyone had been thinking about it on some level.

'Can she?' Piper asked, turning to look at Paige, 'legally, I mean?'

Paige was cradling her wine glass in her hands, swirling it round and round and staring down into it. 'Uh huh, we could adopt her, that's pretty much the only way,' she said, as she looked up to Piper. 'Seeing as she's from England, if we don't prove we're related then there's no way we could even do that, because we'd be taking her out of the country.'

'But you can prove that you're related, can't you? With DNA tests or something?' Leo said, looking quizzically at Paige.

'Yeah,' Paige replied, looking back into her glass of wine. 'That won't be a problem.'

'Is it a problem that she's here?' Phoebe asked. 'I mean, in San Francisco? That she left England?'

'It might be,' Paige said, taking a long sip from her glass. 'But if we report it in tomorrow then it shows that we care, and that will work in our favour. The fact that she got here won't be a problem because we didn't have anything to do with that. I'll talk to Mr Cowan tomorrow, we do a couple of transatlantic adoptions every year, and he knows more about them than me.'

'Won't the British Social Services be looking for her?' Piper asked.

'Probably,' Paige replied, 'but they'll never find her here. Not that we shouldn't tell them,' she added hurriedly, seeing the beginnings of a plan in Phoebe's eyes, 'we need to do everything by the book, for her. She's been uprooted enough times already.'

'So is she staying?' Phoebe asked, looking around the table at everyone's faces.

'Looks like it,' Piper said, smiling softly. 'Paige?'

'Of course she is,' Paige nodded, smiling too. 'I'll talk to Mr Cowan tomorrow.'

'I'm proud of you girls,' Leo said, rubbing Piper's shoulder next to him. 'I don't think you'll ever regret it, it's what Prue would have wanted. You three will always do the right thing, no matter how hard it seems to be.'

'Aww shucks, Leo,' Paige said, pretending to blush behind her hand. 'You sure know how to flatter a girl!' She batted her eyelids across the table at him, earning a quiet laugh from Piper and Phoebe.

Piper playfully batted her on the arm. 'Hey girl,' she said, 'watch who you're flirting with!'

'So where is she going to sleep?' Phoebe interrupted, watching the exchange between her sisters and smiling. 'I mean, she can sleep in my room for a while, but if she's staying here then she's going to need somewhere more permanent.'

Everyone was looking rather worried, they were all for Nicki coming to live with them, but had overlooked the small matter of where she was actually going to sleep.

'I could convert the basement, or one of the annexes in the attic,' Leo said, after several minutes of silent thinking. 'The attic would be brighter, but then there's the Book of Shadows up there, the basement would be slightly safer, but there's still the Woogyman,' he said, smiling at Phoebe.

'What do you mean, one of the annexes in the attic?' Piper asked curiously, nibbling at a little chiabatta bread.

'Well, you know when you walk in,' Leo said, tracing a plan of the attic on the tablecloth, 'there are three annexes, the one that you're in, one over to the far right, and one in front of you to the right,' he pointed them out of the diagram, which resembled a fat 'T' shape. 'I could turn one, say the one over on the right, into a separate room, and the rest could say as the attic,' he explained.

'That sounds like the best idea,' Paige said, putting down her knife and fork, 'for Nicki, I mean. As long as the Book isn't in her room, she should be okay. Besides, the attic would be much nicer than the basement.'

'Are you sure that she'd be safe?' Phoebe asked, looking slightly worried.

'We could always alter the Safety Spell for her room,' Paige said, taking a sip from her wine glass again, 'you know, make it a safe haven.'

'Piper?' Phoebe said, noticing that she'd hardly said a word. 'Don't you think that this is a good idea?'

'It's not that,' Piper said. 'I was just wondering what we were going to tell Nicki about her mom and dad.'

Piper's words echoed around, leaving an uncomfortable silence; nobody knew what to say. In the end, it was Piper who decided to alleviate the situation.

'You're right Paige, I think that the attic is a great idea,' she said, collecting up the plates and taking them over to the sink. She walked slowly back over to the table and sat down, taking a long drink from her glass of wine. 'I'm just going to tidy up the dresser in the attic, and then I have to get to P3,' she said, putting her empty glass on the draining board.

'Leave the attic honey,' Paige said, 'I'll do it later, don't worry about it.'

'Thanks Paige, but please don't use magic,' she said, grabbing her coat and purse from where she'd left them earlier. 'If there're any problems with Wyatt or Nicki, I'll be on my cell.'

'See you later, sweetie,' Leo said, kissing her on the cheek. 'Do you want us to come with you?' he asked.

'No, thanks,' Piper replied, as she headed towards the door. 'I'll be okay, see you two tomorrow.'

'See you,' Phoebe and Paige said from the hall, where they'd followed Piper. They sat down on the couch, and Leo sat on the armchair.

'Do you think she'll be okay?' Paige asked, putting her glass down on the coffee table.

'She'll be fine,' Phoebe said, 'she just needs a little time.'

Leo looked upwards. 'They're calling, probably about Nicki. I have to go,' he said, looking remorsefully at them. He orbed out, leaving the baby monitor on the table next to Paige's glass.

'So honey,' Phoebe said, cuddling up next to Paige on the couch, causing Paige to relax slightly and stroke her hair, 'in or out tonight?'

'In, definitely,' Paige said, kissing the top of her sister's head. 'Fancy a movie?'

'Sure,' Phoebe said, 'What have you got?'

'Umm, 'Stepmom' or 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer',' Paige said, as she looked at the two rental movies by the video recorder.

''Stepmom', of course,' Phoebe said standing up and picking up the glasses and the monitor, 'I can't do horror tonight. But first, you do the dresser and I'll do the dishes.'

'Okay,' Paige said, smiling, 'deal.' She gave Phoebe a quick hug as they parted, Paige to the attic and Phoebe to the kitchen.

Three hours later, Paige and Phoebe were curled up in their pyjamas, on the couch and under a blanket, both sniffling into a tissue as the credits rolled up.

'I love that movie,' Paige said, as she got her legs untangled from the blanket and went over to rewind the tape.

'I know, it always makes me so sad,' said Phoebe, as she folded up the blanket and put it over her arm. 'Ready to sleep?' she asked.

'Sure,' Paige said, 'I'll be up in a second.'

'No problem, I'll just go and put this in my room,' Phoebe yawned, gesturing to the blanket and heading to the stairs. 'Remember to bring the baby monitor up with you,' she said, as she started to climb.

She opened her door quietly, and was met by a wall of cold air; she hadn't closed her window before Nicki had gone to sleep. She placed the folded blanket at the end of the bed and went over to close it, when she saw Nicki's things on the floor. She'd neatly folded her jeans and her shirt and put them next to her shoes and her bag, everything was so tidy, like she didn't want to intrude on Phoebe's space. Even Nicki herself was taking up as little room as possible; she was curled into the foetal position, only her head was showing above the blankets. She'd let her hair down, and it was tumbling in curly waves all over the pillow, she looked just so vulnerable.

Phoebe went and closed the window, and pulled the curtains to, and then guided herself back to the doorway by the light on the landing. When she got to the bed, she stood there for a little while, just looking at Nicki. Her face was frowning slightly, and mainly out of instinct, Phoebe bent down and brushed her hair out of her eyes, kissing her on the forehead. When she went to close the door, Nicki's unconscious face was illuminated by the landing light, a small smile playing about her lips. Phoebe closed the door quietly, and padded over to Paige's room in her soft slippers.

--End of Chapter Nine--

Hit the little button and write me a message, you will make me very happy! Happy, happy, happy!


	10. Contemplation

**Mysterious Midnight** - Hate to break it to you, but you weren't first to review last time either. I'm sorry! But you still get to be first on my little list because you've reviewed the most, so be happy! Your reviews mean as much to me if I get them the hour after I post, or three days afterwards, so don't worry!

**hazza123** - I'm glad you liked the ending of the last chapter. This one isn't so good, but then I know exactly what happens after this one ends, so the next chapter should be up soon!

**piperleo4eva** - I'm glad you finished it! Don't get too tired honey, reading my fic, save your energy for IMing all of us! Thanks for reviewing, anyway!

**Pruedence.Halliwell** - I'm usually more interested in the new person too, and the characters' reactions to them. Don't worry; there will be a lot of that in chapters to come! But first I want to get things a little more settled, I always get annoyed with fics where things just seem to happen, without any input, so I'm sorry if I go into too much detail! Tanks for your review, as always!

**Stephanie** - Yep, Nicki was asleep that whole time! Remember she'd just come over from England, which is six hours ahead of San Francisco, so six pm in San Fran is like eleven to her! Plus I needed people to be able to talk about her, and that seemed to be a good way to do it! Thanks for your review!

--Chapter Ten--

Nicki woke up the next morning at four o'clock. It took her several seconds before she realised where she was, she lay still, as if afraid that there was someone else in the room with her. When she was satisfied about where she was, she unfurled her legs and sat up, glancing at Phoebe's electronic alarm clock; 04:07. _It feels around midday, I guess the jet-lag affected me more than I thought._ She shrugged the blankets off from her shoulders, and pushed her long, black hair out of her face. Switching on the bedside lamp, she reached down for her backpack and pulled out her hairbrush. She brushed her hair back and tied it into a high ponytail, securing it with one of the two hair-ties she'd kept on her wrist. She plaited it down, until near her waist, before tying it off.

Getting out of bed, she went over to the window to let the morning light in. When she pulled back the curtains, she noticed that it was still dark, although the moonlight lit up the back garden and the city of San Francisco sprawled back away from her. Nicki stood, just looking out of the window for several minutes hugging herself, before she noticed that her right leg was cramping up. She walked back over to the bed and picked her backpack up, setting it down onto the blanket. Someone had laid a clean pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt beside her shoes, and she picked these up as well. She took some clean underwear out of her bag, the only clothes she'd brought, and changed quickly out of Piper's pyjamas. The jeans were too big for her; she'd always been small for her age, so she folded the bottom of the legs into four inch turn-ups. The sweatshirt wasn't as big; she hid her hands in the long sleeves. The words 'The Goo Goo Dolls' were emblazoned in navy blue across the front of the light blue hoodie, and she pushed up the sleeves as she put her bag back onto the floor, and made the bed. As she straightened the duvet and folded the blankets, her eyes were once again drawn to the photo on the bedside table.

She placed the pillows back as she'd found them; even Piper wouldn't have been able to tell that someone had slept in the bed. She folded the pyjamas and placed them neatly on the bed, and then sat with her back against it, sinking onto her knees, holding Phoebe's photo on her lap. Tears rolled unchecked down her face, as she traced Prue's face with her fingertips.

'My mother…' she sobbed, dropping the photo on the floor and cradling her head in her hands, rocking back and forth. 'My mum…'

Nicki didn't know how long she'd sat there, but Wyatt's crying jolted her and she noticed that her feet had gone numb. She slowly got up, shaking life back into her legs, and put the photo back onto Phoebe's bedside table. She folded her dirty clothes up small and put them at the bottom of her bag, lifting everything else to the top. Her precious photo, a small tin containing the few treasured objects she'd kept from her old life in England, and the bottle of water, which she drained and then put into the bin by the door. Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder, she quietly opened the door to Phoebe's bedroom, switching off the bedside lamp as she left.

She closed the bathroom door very quietly behind her, and turned once again to the mirror. _Do I even look a little like her?_ Nicki examined her reflection, trying to see aspects of Prue's face in hers. She had the same little beauty spot under her right eye, and the same striking blue eyes, the same slight build. The rest of her features were slightly different. For one thing, her hair was curlier than Prue's and longer, even though they shared the raven colour. Her skin was a little paler, her lips slightly fuller. Now that she'd seen Phoebe's photo, she wasn't sure if the resemblances were there, or if she was desperately hoping that they were. Looking away from her reflection, she reached for the toothbrush she'd used last night.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Nicki carefully opened the door. Although she'd been awake for hours now, it was still dark, and she didn't want to wake up any of the other members of the household, at least now that Wyatt had seemed to settle down again. She slowly crept down the stairs, and headed to the kitchen, to see if she could find another of Piper's cookies to last her a while. _After all, now that I know that my mum's not here, it's not like I have any reason to stay. These people don't want me around, no-one ever does._ Nicki pushed open the kitchen door, to find Phoebe and Paige sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper, Leo feeding Wyatt, and Piper flipping two last pancakes onto a towering plate. All of them were in their pyjamas except for Piper, who was wearing some black trousers and a brown halter-top, and Wyatt, who'd been dressed in a red t-shirt and a pair of blue dungarees, and was happily throwing pieces of banana at Leo.

'Come on, little man,' Leo said, wiping some banana off of his chin. 'I know you want to eat this, don't you? Be a big boy for daddy now,' he pleaded as he once again tried to push the spoon into his son's mouth. He took his opportunity as Wyatt let out a giggle, but soon found that the banana was back down the front of his shirt.

'Here honey,' Piper said, turning around with the plate carrying the wobbling pile of pancakes. 'Oh, hey,' she added, as she spotted Nicki, who was now hiding in the doorway. 'Come in, sweetie. Do you want some breakfast?'

Nicki looked apprehensive, but came and sat down next to Phoebe when both she and Paige had given her encouraging smiles. Leo was too busy trying to both feed Wyatt and clear up mashed banana from his hair. Piper set the plate of pancakes down onto the table, along with a bottle of maple syrup, and then went over to take over from Leo. She gently took the spoon from his hand, grinning as she handed him a washcloth.

'Here you go honey,' she said, and she expertly wiped Wyatt's face and the table of his high chair with another cloth. 'I'll let you into the secret, look…' She loaded the spoon half-full with banana, and made a choo-choo sound as she fed Wyatt. 'Here comes the choo-choo train,' she said, popping the spoon into his mouth. Wyatt swallowed and then giggled, not dropping a bit. 'See?' she said, grinning at Leo.

'You make it look so easy,' he said, as he put the washcloth into the sink and sat down at the table. 'How are you this morning, Nicki?' he asked, putting several pancakes onto his plate and dousing them in maple syrup.

'Fine, thank-you,' Nicki said nervously. She flinched as Phoebe touched her shoulder.

'Hey,' Phoebe said, her eyes clouding over with concern. _God, she's so scared. I don't even need to be empathic to realise that._ She met Paige's eyes across the table with a worried look. 'You okay?' she asked, her eyes searching Nicki's face for some clues to why she was so afraid.

Nicki almost visibly pulled herself together. 'Yeah, sure,' she said, lifting her eyes from the tablecloth to meet Phoebe's. 'I'm fine,' she added, a little more confidently.

'That's good,' Paige said, through a mouthful of pancakes. 'It's good that you're fine.' She too smiled at Nicki. 'Want some?' she offered, holding out the plate of pancakes to her.

'Sure,' Nicki said, and Paige slid three onto her plate and covered them in syrup. 'You guys have pancakes for breakfast?' she asked, looking slightly puzzled. 'We only used to have them at Lent,' she added, by way of explanation, 'after dinner.'

'Good old America,' Phoebe said, handing the paper over to Leo and offering Nicki some orange juice. 'Pancakes are a breakfast food, along with muffins and bagels and lots and lots of coffee,' she said, pouring herself another cup.

Piper gave Wyatt the last mouthful of banana, wiped his face and hands, and gave him his pacifier. Turning his high chair around so it faced the table, she sat down and began to eat. 'Don't mind Phoebs,' she said, smiling at Nicki, as she pecked Leo on the cheek, 'she's not really a morning person.'

Phoebe smirked at her across the table, causing Piper to giggle. The whole tense atmosphere seemed to lift, and Nicki took a bite of her pancakes.

'These are really nice,' she said, looking at Piper, 'thank-you.'

'That's okay,' Piper said, as she went to pour herself some coffee too, only to find the pot empty. 'I do the food, you wouldn't want to eat anything that the other two make,' she said, as she got up and put the coffee pot back into the machine and turned it on.

'I'd like to say 'hey',' Paige said, running a hand through her tousled hair, 'but I think you actually have a point there.' She yawned slowly, shrugging her shoulders, and rested her head on her palms.

'You tired there, Missy Paige?' Phoebe asked, cradling her hot mug in her hands.

'Mmm hmm,' Paige mumbled, her eyes closed. Suddenly, she shook herself off and stood up. 'Gotta go get ready for work,' she said, as she put her empty mug down onto the table. She stretched her hands above her head and suddenly looked a lot more awake. 'Speaking of,' she said, looking pointedly at Piper and Phoebe, and nodding in Nicki's direction. Nicki, who was cutting up her pancakes, didn't notice.

'Me too,' Phoebe said, getting up. 'How about we take quick showers this morning Paige, and then we can have a nice family chat before we leave?'

Piper nodded at them, her eyes silently telling them to be quick. 'Sounds good to me,' she said, taking the freshly brewed pot of coffee over to the table and sitting down. 'See you guys in a little while?'

'Yep,' Paige replied, already halfway out the door.

'I'd better go and get dressed too,' Leo said, getting up from the table and putting his, Phoebe's and Paige's dishes into the sink. 'Will you guys be okay?' he asked, looking at Piper and indicating to Wyatt and Nicki.

'Sure, we'll be fine,' Piper said, taking a bite of her pancakes. 'Give us a chance to have some girl talk,' she said, smiling at Nicki, who smiled slightly back.

'Okay then honey,' Leo said, kissing the top of her head. He left the kitchen, giving Wyatt a quick cuddle as he went.

Piper and Nicki ate in comfortable silence for a few seconds, neither really sure what to say. It was Piper who spoke first.

'So,' she said as she finished off her plate, 'blue is a good colour on you.' She indicated to the clothes that Nicki had found at the bottom of the bed.

'Thank-you for these,' Nicki said, putting down her knife and fork politely.

'No trouble, honestly,' Piper said, smiling. 'Don't stop eating on my account, there's plenty left.' She gestured to the plate of pancakes, which still had two on it.

'Thanks,' Nicki said, taking up her cutlery again and helping herself to another pancake. 'Are these clothes yours?' she asked, reaching for the maple syrup.

'No, they're not mine,' Piper replied, handing her the elusive bottle and watching as Nicki poured a small amount onto her pancake. 'They're some of Phoebe's from a couple of years back; they're the smallest I could find.'

'They're a little big for me still,' Nicki said, swallowing her mouthful. 'But most of my clothes are a little big for me anyway,' she added, as if afraid she'd offended Piper.

'Well,' replied Piper, obviously not offended in the least, 'You're a bit smaller than us, I guess. I put them there when I got home from the club last night, around two. You were fast asleep. Did you sleep well?' she asked.

'Oh, yes, thank-you,' Nicki replied, finishing off her pancakes and laying her cutlery flat.

'Good,' Piper said, clearing up the remainder of the dishes and filling the sink with hot, soapy water.

'Here,' said Nicki, standing up, 'let me help you,' she offered, carrying over the large plate with its one solitary pancake and some glasses, one still half full with juice.

'Thanks,' Piper said, taking the dished from her. 'Don't worry about it sweetie,' she said, as she put the pancake into the trash and the maple syrup into a top cupboard. She carefully carried the hot coffee pot back over to the machine and put the orange juice back in the fridge.

Nicki went back to the table, which was now cleared, and neatly piled the place settings at one end. She sat on the table, facing Piper, who now had her back to her and was doing the dishes. Wyatt was facing Nicki, and looking at her with his big blue eyes. He dropped his pacifier onto the table of the high chair, and started to cry.

Piper sighed. 'It's okay, baby, mommy's coming,' she said, drying her hands on a dish-towel and turning around to comfort him. She stopped, with a small smile playing about her lips.

Nicki had stood up and was standing over by Wyatt, and she'd picked the pacifier up and returned it to him. She was now playing peek-a-boo with him, giggling to him, and he was giggling back. Piper stood watching them. It seemed as if Nicki just, belonged with them. _I can't see our future without Nicki, my niece, in it, and to be honest, I don't think I want to._

--End of Chapter Ten--

Please review! I will give you lots of cookies and ice-cream (vanilla flavour, the only one worth having). Also, can someone tell me which grade Nicki would go into in September, if she would be fifteen then? I'm not so familiar with the American school system…


	11. Emotionally Draining

Just to let all of you know that we're moving house right now, so it might be a week or so before I can update! I'm really sorry!

**Mysterious Midnight** - Yep, you were first again. I really don't know how you do that! As always, thanks for reviewing!

**Jade-eye Halliwell** - Lol, yep, I did! It always seems to take me ages to update, so sorry about that! Thanks for your review!

**Kat Hawkins** - Thanks for your review, I'm so happy you think it's cute!

**Pruedence.Halliwell** - I know! They were all up way to early for my liking too, but they had to have a great big conversation before Phoebe and Paige left for work, and Nicki is still partially on England time (6 hours ahead). Anyway, thank-you for your review!

**lillynilly** - Whoa that's a lot of reviews! Thank-you so much, I'm so glad that you like my story!

--Chapter Eleven--

Ten minutes later, everyone was sitting in the living room. Piper was in an armchair, with Wyatt on her lap and Leo sitting on the arm of the chair, his left arm loosely around her shoulders. Nicki was curled up into the other armchair, her old trainers on the floor next to her. Phoebe was on the couch, touching up her lipstick and Paige was walking around the room, both looking over all the surfaces and going through her purse.

'Has anyone seen my car keys?' she asked, bending down to look under the coffee table.

Phoebe put her lipstick in her bag, took the keys off of the top of the television, and threw them lightly to Paige. 'Here you go honey,' she said, sitting back down.

Paige turned around and caught them swiftly in her right hand. 'Thanks,' she said, as she put them into her purse and sat down next to Phoebe.

They all sat in silence for several seconds, the girls looking between themselves. Wyatt had his pacifier in his mouth, and was bouncing his blue elephant on his knees, giggling.

'Did you all want to talk about something?' Nicki asked, looking wary. _I knew that they wouldn't want me here._ 'Did you want me to go?'

Her question hung in the air for a few seconds, before Piper spoke. Accepting the role of the oldest, it fell to her to make the first move.

'No, honey, actually it's just the opposite,' she said, playing gently with Wyatt's hair. 'Would you like to stay here with us?' she blurted out. _This is just great. I can't do this whole 'taking control' thing nearly as well as Prue could._

Nicki looked shocked; it was obvious that she wasn't expecting them to make an offer like that. 'Are you sure?' she asked, looking incredulously at Piper. 'You're kidding, right?'

'No,' Paige said, smiling at her. 'We're not kidding, I promise. You have to trust us.'

'But why would you want me here?' Nicki asked, looking lost and confused. 'You don't even know me,' she said, fiddling with the shoulder strap on her backpack.

It was Phoebe who answered, although everyone was taken aback by Nicki's words. 'Honey, look,' she said, moving over to Nicki's armchair and kneeling down in front of it. 'We want you to stay because we love you,' she continued. She lifted Nicki's chin with her index finger. 'You're our niece, and Wyatt's cousin.'

Nicki looked at her, and knew that she was telling the truth. Phoebe's eyes were willing her to trust her. 'You want me to live here, with all of you?' she said, her eyes full of unshed tears. She looked imploringly into everyone's faces, and was met with nods of affirmation. She turned back to Phoebe, who had tears in her eyes too. 'R-really?' she asked, stumbling slightly over the word, her voice thick.

Phoebe laughed slightly, remembering their conversation the night before. 'Really,' she said, smiling, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She drew Nicki into a hug, and, although she was still shocked, Nicki returned it.

'You actually want me?' she said, almost whispering, although everyone else in the room heard it and felt a small jolt of pity for the young girl.

'Of course we do,' Leo said, reassuringly.

Nicki started crying softly into Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe gently lifted her from the chair and turned and sat in it herself, with Nicki now curled into her lap. She held her close, rocking her gently, and whispered comforting words softly into her ear. Piper handed Wyatt to Leo, and she and Paige went over to join them, and to console her as much as possible, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. After several minutes, Nicki's breathing slowed and her tears stopped. She took several deep breaths and then lifted her head, her face shining with happiness.

'So,' Paige said from her kneeling position next to Nicki's head, 'is that a 'yes' then?'

Nicki nodded slowly, a smile plain on her face. 'Thank-you so much,' she said, tears brimming in her eyes again.

'I work for Social Services,' Paige said, 'so is it okay with you if I start to get everything sorted for the adoption?'

'Adoption?' Nicki echoed. 'I never though I'd get adopted,' she said, as if to herself. She reached down to her bag, which had slid onto the floor, and pulled out her battered tin. She carefully opened it and took out some papers, and she offered them nervously to Paige.

'What's this?' Paige asked, taking them from her.

'My passport and my birth certificate,' Nicki replied, unsure if she'd done the right thing by giving them to her. 'I don't know if you need them, but…'

'Thanks,' Paige interrupted, smiling. 'These will be really helpful.' She flicked through the burgundy book, which was completely empty and showed a photo of Nicki from when she was seven or eight. Her big, blue eyes stared hauntingly out of the picture. Paige turned to the birth certificate, and opened it. Her face fell.

Piper, noticing this, caught her eye and looked worried, and Paige handed her the old piece of paper. She read it through, and saw what had saddened her sister. Under 'Name', the words 'Phoenix Madison Halliwell' were written in cursive handwriting. 'Date of Birth' was 'May 12th, 1987', 'Place of Birth' was listed as 'Unknown, Bristol', and 'Time of Birth' as 'Circa. 6 am'. It was the last two fields that caught her breath. Both 'Name and Address of Mother' and 'Name and Address of Father' had had the word 'Unknown' written diagonally across the dotted lines in big, black ink. _Didn't the person who wrote this have any compassion?_ Then it hit her. _Paige's birth certificate would have looked like this._

She handed the piece of paper back to her sister, smiling with difficulty. Phoebe, looking between them quizzically, caught Paige's eye. 'Later,' Paige mouthed to her, putting both the certificate and the passport into her bag. 'So,' she said, breaking the building tension, 'Leo's gonna make a room for you in the attic.'

Nicki's face lit up. 'I get my own room?' she asked, looking excited. 'All to myself?'

'Of course you do, honey!' Piper said, laughing and straightening up. She walked over to Leo and Wyatt, because Wyatt had started to fuss. 'Here,' she said, taking him from Leo. 'He just needs changing, I'll do it.'

'No, it's okay,' Leo said, standing up and gently lifting his son back from Piper's arms. 'I can get it,' he said, as if trying to make up for the breakfast debacle with the mashed banana. He headed to the stairs. 'Bye bye,' he said, waving Wyatt's chubby little hand from side to side as he walked up them. They could hear him laughing with his son as he crossed the upstairs landing.

Piper smiled to herself and settled down onto the couch. 'I just gotta love that man of mine,' she said, closing her eyes and relaxing back.

'Which one?' Paige asked, sitting down next to her.

Piper chuckled. 'Good point,' she said, sitting forward again. 'Where were we?' she asked, looking between Phoebe and Nicki.

'Talking about Nicki's new bedroom,' Phoebe said, giving her new niece a quick hug.

Nicki's face was radiant, she was completely content, and felt safe for the first time in her life.

'Right,' Piper said, feeling elated, evidently Nicki's happiness was contagious. 'Well, it won't be ready for a little while, so you'll be in Phoebe's room for the moment.'

'Is that okay?' Nicki asked, turning around to face Phoebe, looking slightly worried.

'Of course,' Phoebe said reassuringly. 'I'll bunk in with Paige, she'll love it, I can tell her all the stories from when we were little she's been begging me for,' she said, looking at Piper out of the corner of her eye.

'Oooh,' Piper said, nudging Paige in the ribs, 'you'd better not tell her anything about me.'

Phoebe giggled. 'But Piper,' she said, innocently, 'those are the best ones.'

'Either way,' Paige said, smoothing things over, 'it's fine with me.' She stood up, stretching out her back, her top riding up and showing off her flat stomach.

'Okay,' Nicki said, 'if you're sure.' She pulled her plait over her shoulder and started fiddling with the end.

'Of course I am,' Paige answered, 'but I have to get to work now, and so do you Phoebs.'

Phoebe nodded, but her eyes were fixed on the back of Nicki's head. 'Just a minute, she said, gesturing Paige to come over behind her. 'Nicki, honey, what's that?' she asked, gently running her fingers over a small tattoo at the top of Nicki's spine. It was the triquetra.

'It's a symbol or something,' Nicki said, rubbing it. 'I've had it as long as I can remember.'

Paige came over behind them, Piper following. They both looked a little shocked when they saw the small tattoo. They exchanged meaningful glances with Phoebe, who shifted Nicki's weight forward, turning her around.

'Okay then,' she said, 'it doesn't matter.' She stood up slowly, helping Nicki to her feet. 'I've got to go to work sweetie,' she added. 'See you later?'

'Okay,' Nicki said slowly, as everyone moved to the door. 'Are you all going?' she asked, timidly.

Piper turned round. 'No honey, of course not,' she said, squeezing her niece's shoulder. 'You can spend the day with me and Wyatt, maybe we'll go shopping or something. You'd like that?'

'Sure,' Nicki said, as Phoebe and Paige opened the door. Sunlight flooded into the Halliwells' living room.

'Bye,' they called, as Piper went to close the door.

'Come straight home,' she said, her head poking out the gap. She closed the door and turned around. 'So,' she said, putting an arm around Nicki's shoulders and steering her towards the kitchen. 'How about that shopping then?'

Meanwhile, Phoebe and Paige were walking down the Manor steps.

'Can I see that paper now?' Phoebe asked, as they reached Paige's lime green bug.

'Okay,' Paige said, taking it out of her purse and reluctantly handing it over, 'but you're not going to like it.'

Phoebe silently took the certificate out of Paige's hand and quickly read it. She looked back at Paige, her eyes full of sadness, but she couldn't find any words to say.

--End of Chapter Eleven--

Please review, any comments are welcome! I'm sorry if you guys thought that the beginning of this chapter was overly emotional… Anyway, thank to all you wonderful people I have now discovered that Nicki would go into 10th grade. Another question. Is that Junior High or High school? And would she be a junior, or a sophomore or whatever? Thanks again to all of you!


	12. Feeling More Comfortable

To everyone, I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I know you all hate me, I'm so sorry! We moved house, and my dad didn't want to get in the removal men so we did it all ourselves, so it took forever. And then we had to wait for BT to connect our internet! Life is such a trial…

**Stephanie** - Thanks for the confirmation, I really want to get this right. I'm sorry you don't like ice-cream, that must be so terrible for you! Thanks for your review.

**Mysterious Midnight** - Yet again, you were first! Sorry about the long time between updates, we've just moved and the internet took a while to get connected. Thanks for reviewing, please don't give up on me!

**Kat Hawkins** - Thanks for your review! That's really weird, that high school starts at different ages in different states, I never knew that!

**InTheForestsOfTheNight** - Yey to you too!

**lillynilly** - Thanks, I think tenth grade is right. You're fifteen when you go into it and sixteen when you leave, right? Just checking. See this is how I have it planned. Nicki turns fifteen on May 12th, 2002. She goes into tenth grade in September 2002, right? Thanks as always, for your review!

**EaglePride** - I'm glad that you like this story! That makes me so happy, thanks for saying that!

**hazza123** - I'm sorry for the wait, we moved and the internet has only just got connected. Please keep reading this!

**DorkNextDoor010** - I'm so glad you love my story! Happy, happy, happy! Thank you for reviewing!

**Pruedence.Halliwell** - Thanks for your idea about the shopping trip, as you will see, I used it, it was really good! And as for Phoenix Madison shortened to Nicki, take the 'nix' from Phoenix. I thought that she needed a nickname, Phoenix is a bit of a mouthful (just like Prudence was, I guess)!

**Cute-Kovu** - I'm sorry if I made you cry! I hope they weren't painful tears, just empathic ones! Thanks for reviewing my story, it means so much!

--Chapter Twelve--

A few hours later, Piper was pushing Wyatt in his stroller through a large department store. They'd been at the mall for almost an hour now, and Wyatt had gone to sleep. Nicki was behind her with a small trolley, full of clothes. There was underwear, nightclothes, and enough shirts, skirts, dresses and trousers to be the skeleton of a new wardrobe. There were already some bags underneath Wyatt's stroller, bought and paid for, with essentials like shoes, moisturiser and hairbrushes.

'We'll just get you a couple of nice dresses,' Piper was saying, as she walked over to the evening-wear section, 'and then I think we're nearly done.'

'Are you sure?' Nicki asked, looking slightly worried at the amount of clothes they'd already picked out. Most were bold, dark colours; they'd discovered that she couldn't wear light colours because she was so pale. 'I've never had this many clothes before, and this is going to cost a lot of money.'

'Of course,' Piper said, dismissively. 'The club always does well in January; we've got some extra money lying around.' She looked back at Nicki, who was still looking slightly dubious. 'Honestly honey, it's fine,' she added, smiling at her.

Piper picked out two dresses from the petite rack, and handed them to her niece. Nicki was about a foot shorter than Piper was, and was built very lightly, like Prue had been. 'Here you go,' she coaxed, 'why don't you go try these on?'

Nicki took them into the changing room, and came out a couple of minutes later wearing the first. It was long, nearly brushing the floor, simply cut, and a dark, midnight blue colour.

'Great,' Piper said, smiling. Nicki looked gorgeous. 'What about the other one then?' she asked.

'Sure,' Nicki said, retreating back into the changing room and pulling across the curtain. She handed Piper the blue dress back through the gap, and Piper put it on a hanger and on top of the rest of the clothes in the trolley.

Nicki pulled back the curtain to model the last dress and Piper gasped. It was black, cut just above the knee, and was fitted quite closely. Now that Nicki was wearing it, Piper realised that it was the same type of dress that Prue used to wear when she worked at Buckland's. Nicki looked so much like Prue, it was almost disturbing.

'That is absolutely perfect,' she said, quietly.

'Are you okay?' Nicki asked, coming worriedly over to Piper.

Piper pulled herself together and stopped staring at her niece. 'Sure,' she said, pulling her into a quick hug. 'I'm just a little tired, that's all, now you go get changed out of that and we'll get you some matching shoes.' She ushered Nicki back into the changing room, and went over to the stands of evening shoes. 'What size are you?'

'Umm, a three and a half in England,' Nicki replied from inside the changing room, where she was carefully stepping out of the dress and hanging it up.

Piper consulted the conversion chart pinned on the wall. 'Right, so you're a five,' she said, putting the last dress on top of the pile of clothes. 'Wait a second,' she said to Nicki, who was just putting her trainers back on.

'Okay,' Nicki said, straightening up, her shoes held loosely in her left hand.

Piper walked up the aisle until she reached the fives, where she picked out a pair of simple black sandals, with a small heel. 'Here,' she said, walking back to Nicki and giving them to her. 'You like these?' she asked.

'Yep,' Nicki agreed, sliding off the purple socks Piper had left for her that morning. She slipped her feet into the sandals and tied the straps. They were a perfect fit. 'They're really nice,' she added, showing Piper.

'You're right,' Piper said. 'Now take them off and we'll get out of here, what do you say?'

Nicki giggled as she put her trainers back on. 'Okay,' she said happily, putting the shoes into the trolley, carefully avoiding the dresses.

They walked over to the checkout, and Piper noticed that Nicki was looking slightly worried again, and glancing at all of the clothes they'd accumulated. Not wanting her niece to worry about the cost, she stopped just short of the till.

'Tell you what,' she said, pulling a ten dollar bill out of her purse, 'can you do me a favour sweetie?' she asked.

'Sure,' Nicki said, looking slightly puzzled.

'See that vendor over there by the fountain?' she said, pointing out of the store and into the foyer of the mall.

Nicki nodded. 'Yeah,' she said, taking the bill from Piper's open hand.

'Can you take Wyatt and get me a latte and a chocolate chip cookie for him? And wait for me there?' she asked, moving Wyatt's stroller in front of Nicki. 'There's enough there for you to get a cookie too, if you want one,' she added, gently taking the handle of the trolley.

'Okay then,' Nicki said happily, pushing Wyatt, who was still sleeping, towards the vendor.

Piper smiled at the retreating back of her niece, and turned the trolley round to get in the queue for the checkout, keeping an eye on them at all times.

Once Piper had paid for all the clothes, she came out of the store carrying six full shopping bags and walked over to Nicki and Wyatt. She sat down on the bench next to her niece, who smiled, taking small bites of her own cookie. Piper managed to fit two more bags underneath the stroller, and hung the rest on the handles.

'Here you go,' Nicki said, handing Piper her latte and Wyatt's cookie. 'And you have some change, too,' she said, taking out a couple of dollar bills and some coins.

'Keep it honey,' Piper said, pushing the money back at Nicki. 'Get a magazine or something later.' She took a long drink of her coffee, loving the feeling of warmth she got as it ran down her throat.

Nicki looked slightly taken aback, but slid the money into the pocket of her jeans anyway. 'Thank-you,' she said, taking another bite of her cookie.

'Don't mention it,' Piper said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. 'So,' she added, 'how about we hit the grocery store and then go home?'

An hour and a half later, Piper and Nicki walked into the kitchen, arms laden with carrier bags, Wyatt, now awake, bouncing on Piper's hip and eating his cookie.

Piper set the bags she was carrying down onto the counter. 'Can you watch Wyatt while I get the rest of the shopping?' she asked, taking Nicki's bags from her.

'Sure,' Nicki said, gently taking Wyatt from Piper and putting him into his high-chair.

'Thanks,' Piper called, already half way out the door. When she came back in with the last of the groceries ten minutes later, she put the car keys on the hook, the bags on the table and sat down heavily.

Nicki slid into the chair opposite her. 'Are you okay?' she asked, looking slightly worried.

'Oh yeah, honey,' Piper replied quickly, 'I'm fine, just a little tired is all.' She smiled at her niece and got up to see to Wyatt, who had started to cry. She picked him out of his chair and bounced him on her hip again, trying to soothe him. 'You hungry?' she asked loudly, over Wyatt's cries.

'A little,' Nicki replied, also getting up.

'Well,' Piper said, her voice lowering in volume as Wyatt's cries petered out. 'How about you make yourself a sandwich whilst I put the groceries away?'

'Sounds good,' Nicki said, smiling.

Piper showed her where she could find everything she'd need, as she put away the shopping, still bouncing Wyatt and humming to him absent-mindedly.

A little while later, Nicki had finished eating and the kitchen was looking neat and tidy again. Wyatt was still sniffling, and Nicki was looking slightly tired too.

'I'm going to put him down for a nap,' Piper said, cradling her son's head in the crook of her arm.

'Okay then,' Nicki replied, as they left the kitchen. 'Do you need any help?'

'No, honey, don't worry,' Piper said, smiling gratefully at her niece. 'If it's okay with you, I'm going to catch some sleep as well.'

'That's fine,' Nicki said, climbing the last step of the staircase. 'Umm, can I ask you something? I mean, it's okay if you say no…' she trailed off, looking hopefully at Piper.

'Of course you can,' Piper said, placing a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. 'What did you want to ask?'

'Umm, can I take a shower or something? It's fine if I can't, I can do it some other time if it's a problem…'

'Of course you can!' Piper said, laughing. 'That's fine, give me a couple of minutes and I'll get you a towel.'

'Thank-you,' Nicki replied, happily, and they split up in the hall, Piper and Wyatt into Piper's room, and Nicki into Phoebe's. As she opened the door, she saw that Piper had laid all her new clothes out on Phoebe's bed. A smile crept inadvertently onto her face, as she looked over all the brand new clothes, labels still attached. She picked up a sweater and sat down where it had been. She lifted it to her face and inhaled deeply. _God, the smell of new clothes. Isn't it incredible? I've never known anything quite like it._

Piper walked in several minutes later to find her niece with her head buried in a purple sweater. 'You okay?' she asked, clearing some clothes and sitting next to her.

Nicki lifted her head to reveal an incredible smile. 'Absolutely perfect,' she said quietly, setting the sweater back down onto the bed.

'Here,' Piper said, handing her a large, fluffy white towel. 'Cosmetics are in the bathroom, help yourself.'

'Thanks,' Nicki replied, feeling the softness of the towel with her fingers.

'When you're done,' Piper continued, standing up and brushing herself off, 'there's a bookcase downstairs, help yourself. You know how the TV works?'

Nicki nodded. 'Sure,' she said.

'Feel free to have a look around,' Piper continued, 'but will you stay out of the attic for a little while, honey?'

'Of course,' Nicki replied, 'that's not a problem.'

'Great,' Piper said, opening the door. 'If you need me, I'll be in my room, across the hall. Don't worry about waking me up.'

'Thanks,' Nicki replied, also standing up.

'No problem. See you in a couple of hours,' Piper said, closing the door softly behind her. She walked slowly into her room and through into Wyatt's nursery. After making sure that her son was asleep, she swiftly changed into her own pyjamas and got under the covers. She switched off her bedside lamp and was pleased when no light came through the tiny crack in the curtains. Having got less than five hours of sleep the night before, Piper sank quickly into a deep slumber.

--End of Chapter Twelve--

Apologies if you guys didn't think much happened in this chapter. I have big plans for the next one though! And to anyone out there who's American, just to let you know, I'm not, I'm British. So it's 'colour', and not 'color', 'centre' and not 'center'. I'm sorry if that annoys you, but that's just the way I write! Either way, please review!


	13. Letting Go

**Mysterious Midnight **- I'm glad you like the last chapter, and that the British way of spelling things doesn't annoy you too much! I only noticed the other day that the vast majority of users of are probably American. Anyway thanks for your review (and you were first!).

**hazza123 **- Thanks for your review, it's nice to know people like my story!

**Kat Hawkins** - Thanks for reviewing again! It makes me so happy!

**PrueTrudeau **- Wow, now that review was an essay and a half! It's good to know that I inspire you to think of things to do with this, that makes me fell all warm and fuzzy! Thanks for reviewing!

**Jade-eye Halliwell** - I'm really glad that you think this story is getting better, that makes me feel really good, because I'd like to think my writing is improving! Thanks for your review!

**NathanAblett** - I'm really glad you like my story; it makes me so very happy! Thanks for reviewing!

**charmedfreak21** - Don't worry, Prue will work her way back in eventually; I have big plans for her! Thank you for your review!

**AmyH.** - I miss Prue too! And, like I said, she will make an appearance at some point! I'm so glad you like Nicki, I get a little worried that she's too two-dimensional, but I really hope not. Thanks for reviewing!

--Chapter Thirteen--

The feel of the hot water on her skin was exquisite; Nicki was having trouble remembering the last time that she'd had a hot shower. She spent nearly twenty minutes in the shower, and left the conditioner in for at least twice as long as she was supposed to. After all, there weren't any guarantees she'd be able to use any more in a while.

After getting out and towelling herself dry with the fluffy towel Piper had brought her, Nicki changed into a new pair of sweatpants, some warm socks, new underwear and a cropped t-shirt. She pulled a brush through her hair, getting out all the tangles.

Leaving Phoebe's room, she tied her long hair up into a French plait. She made sure that she wasn't making too much noise as she crept into Piper's bedroom. Piper was flat out, a small smile on her face. Nicki slipped quietly into Wyatt's nursery, where he was also sound asleep. Nicki looked down at him and smiled slightly. She went back into Piper's room and took the baby monitor off of her bedside table, closing the door to Wyatt's nursery as she went. She wrote Piper a note from the pad of paper on her bedside table.

Dear Aunt Piper,

Don't worry, I took the baby monitor. I hope it's okay, I just wanted you to be able to get some sleep. I know how to look after babies, don't worry. And if there're any problems, I will wake you up, I promise.

Nicki.

Nicki laid the note down in place of the baby monitor, and slowly and quietly left Piper's room, closing the door behind her. She walked slowly down the corridor, having unconsciously made the decision to explore around the house. There were two rooms on this floor that she hadn't yet seen. There was another bathroom, and Paige's bedroom. Paige's bedroom was similar to Phoebe's; you could tell they were related, although there were some basic differences. Paige was clearly into art and culture, whereas Phoebe seemed to focus more on comfort and calm.

Nicki walked straight past the staircase to the attic, giving it no more than a curious glance in passing. _Piper said not to go up there, so I won't. I don't want to do anything to make them not like me, not want me any more._

She walked down the stairs, still clutching the baby monitor in the left hand, her right trailing behind her down the banister. She'd already seen most of the downstairs, but she did have a look around the sunroom. She tried to open the door to go into the garden but it was locked, so she went back into the living room instead to have a look at the bookshelves.

There was quite an impressive collection of books, and Nicki spent several minutes looking over the titles. She slid 'The Lord of the Rings' by JRR Tolkien from the shelves and set it down onto the coffee table. She was going to sit down, but first decided to get a glass of water.

When Nicki walked into the kitchen, she went straight to the fridge and took a bottle of water from the twelve that were on the top shelf. She opened it with a 'crack' as the seal broke, and took a long drink, tilting back her head and closing the door to the fridge with her back. As she brought her head back level and took the bottle away from her mouth, she noticed a door in the corner of the kitchen that she'd never spotted before.

Nicki screwed the lid back on the bottle of water and put it down on the counter top, before walking cautiously over to the door. She had no idea what could be behind it, so she opened it carefully. The door opened to reveal pitch darkness, and Nicki let out a small sigh of relief; she'd realised what was behind the door. _It has to be a basement, if it doesn't have any windows._ Sure enough, when she felt around the corner of the doorframe, her fingers grazed over the unmistakeable shape of a light switch.

Nicki flicked the switch, and the bulb in the basement flickered for a while, before remaining steadily on. It revealed a flight of steps, which she descended, curiously. When she reached the bottom and could see the rest of the basement, she let out a small gasp.

'Wow,' she exclaimed, her eyes taking in the room in its entirety. She passed over the boxes stacked on one side and the gardening equipment, her eyes remaining on the small training area that Phoebe had set up.

Nicki walked slowly over to that side of the basement, her fingers grazing over the punch bag, the barre on the wall, the incredible selection of weapons. She glanced around quickly, as if looking for something, and her eyes settled on a large roll of athletic tape sitting underneath the weapons rack.

'Perfect,' she muttered, and quickly mounted the stairs again. She left the basement door open and the light on, and she went into the living room to return the book to its rightful place on the shelf. Satisfied that everything was how she'd found it, she went back into the kitchen. She grabbed the bottle of water and the baby monitor from the kitchen counter, where she'd left them earlier, and went back down the stairs to the basement, being careful to ensure that the door remained open.

It was with slight hesitation that she approached the training area this time, unsure as to whether anyone would mind if she used it. _As long as I'm careful, it should be okay._ She put the monitor and the bottle of water carefully down onto the shelf next to the athletic tape, and picked the tape up. She put it under her chin as she checked her hair was still out of the way, and that her clothes were comfortable and supportive enough to train in. Satisfied, she sat down and slipped off her left sock.

Several years ago, she'd been running from someone when she'd tripped over in an alley. Her ankle burst out in pain, and she turned to face the person she was running from, knowing that now she couldn't run, fighting was her only option. She barely moved her head a fraction before she saw blue and white lights in front of her eyes, and fainted from the pain. Nicki had no idea how she'd gotten away from the person who was chasing her in the first place, but the next thing she remembered she woke up in hospital, her eyes stinging from the brightness of the lights all around her. It turned out she'd torn three of the ligaments in her ankle and had hit her head on the ground in the alley, resulting in a skull fracture. Her head healed fine, and she'd spent a couple of weeks on crutches before her ankle could bear her weight again. Even now, it was still weak, and throbbed violently whenever she used it excessively, so she had to tape it up every time she exercised.

Nicki expertly taped her ankle tightly, and put her sock back on. She then taped both her wrists to support them; after all, she'd broken each of them at least once. There were dangers that came with fighting people, or things, on a daily basis, and an above average number of injuries was one of them.

She stood up and returned the tape to the shelf, also checking that the baby monitor was on and working. Then, she turned to the punching bag, a small smile playing about her lips. _This is gonna be fun._

Paige drew up to the manor about thirty seconds after Phoebe did, and after parking their cars they walked up the manor steps together.

'So, how did it go?' Phoebe asked Paige as they neared the top of the steps. 'What did they say about Nicki?'

'It was okay,' Paige answered, slotting her keys into the door. 'I'll tell you everything later,' she added, 'when everyone else is there.'

'Okay honey,' Phoebe said quickly, picking up on the small note of despair in her sister's voice, and not wanting to push anything. 'Is anyone home?' she called, as Paige pushed open the door and they both walked into the foyer.

'Down here,' they heard a voice call from the kitchen, and looking at each other, slightly puzzled, they followed it.

When they reached the kitchen and noticed the door to the basement was open, the situation seemed to make a little more sense.

'Nicki?' Phoebe asked, as they walked down the basement stairs, just in time to see their niece give the bag a final roundhouse kick.

'Wow,' Paige muttered. Nicki was hot and sweaty, but smiling none the less. 'She's nearly as good as you, Phoebs,' Paige added giving her sister a playful dig in the ribs.

Nicki caught the punching bag as it swung ominously on its chain. 'Sorry,' she said, stopping it still and standing in front of it.

'About what?' Paige asked, slightly bewildered.

'Sorry I'm down here,' Nicki said quietly, walking over to the shelf and picking up the now empty bottle of water and the baby monitor.

'That's okay sweetie,' Phoebe said, smiling. 'Of course you can come down here,' she said, 'and Paige is right, you are pretty good. Where did you learn all that?'

'I did kickboxing at school for a while,' Nicki replied, as they walked up the stairs. 'But mostly I just taught myself.'

'Well maybe we can train together sometime,' Phoebe said, as she flicked the basement light off. They walked over to the table to join Paige, Nicki putting her empty bottle in the rubbish bin as they passed it.

'Where are Piper and Wyatt?' Paige asked, as they sat down.

'Upstairs,' Nicki replied, putting the baby monitor down onto the table. 'They've both been sleeping for…' she glanced at the clock '… nearly three hours now.'

'Okay,' Paige said.

'Umm,' Nicki started, looking worried.

'What is it sweetie?' Paige asked, looking at her encouragingly.

'Can I have another shower?' Nicki asked sheepishly, picking at her damp clothes.

--End of Chapter Thirteen--

Okay, so sorry it took so long, as usual. I will update quicker in future, I promise! Please review!


	14. Mastering the Basics

To all, I'm sorry I'm taking so long between updates. I do have excuses, but they're just that, excuses, so I will try to update more quickly in future!

**PiPeRAnGeL39** - I'm glad you like it! And there will be more about Nicki's childhood coming out gradually, so keep reading! Thanks for your review!

**Mysterious Midnight **- I hope your computer is fixed now, I always get so annoyed when mine is offline. Thanks for your review, they're always appreciated, no matter when they come in!

**PrueTrudeau** - Don't worry, the Book will be making an appearance soon! Hope you like this chapter too, thanks for reviewing.

**InTheForestsOfTheNight** - Of course you can use the name Phoenix, go for it! Although remember, it is PhOEnix, not PhEOnix, like you said in your reviews. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one.

**AmyH.** - Yup, she takes after Phoebe. They'll make one hell of a team in a few chapters. Thanks for your review.

--Chapter Fourteen--

That evening, everyone was sitting around the dining room table. Nicki was wearing another set of new clothes; her hair still wet from her second shower, but tied up in its usual plait. When Piper had woken up, she'd gently berated her niece for taking the baby monitor, ('It's not that I don't trust you to take care of Wyatt,' she'd said, after Nicki had apologised profusely, 'it's just that it's my job to take care of both him and you.'), and then called her husband down for dinner. Phoebe and Paige had been in charge of food, and there were two large takeaway pizzas and a large pitcher of water on the table in front of them. Everyone was making polite conversation, but nobody was asking the question that they all wanted answered. Finally, Phoebe decided that she may as well start.

'So,' she said, picking at the pepperoni on her slice of pizza, 'What did they say at work, Paige?'

The table went silent, and Paige put her pizza down onto her plate. 'Well,' she said, slowly, 'there's good news and bad news.'

'Bad news first,' Nicki said, quickly, unconsciously bracing herself. _Please don't be him, please don't be him!_

'The bad news is that your foster parents want you back,' Paige said, quietly.

Nicki started breathing shallowly, almost hyperventilating. _Oh God, no, please, don't let them take me away!_

Phoebe, who was sitting next to her, put a comforting arm around Nicki's shoulders and started rubbing her back, trying to calm her. 'But they can't do that, can they?' she asked Paige.

'Therein lies the good news,' Paige said smiling.

'Well?' Piper asked, leaving her finished plate and getting a bottle from the fridge for Wyatt, who was fussing in his high chair.

Nicki had almost calmed down, and was breathing naturally, although there was still a look of terror in her eyes. 'What good news?' she asked, pleadingly. 'I don't have to go back?'

'No, honey, you don't,' Paige said, her voice calm and reassuring. 'We all have to go in for a DNA test on Monday, and Mr Cowan will talk to you then. Basically, you can stay wherever you want to; you're old enough to decide now.'

'See, it's all going to be okay,' Piper said, cradling Wyatt in her right arm, whilst giving him his bottle. She came over behind Nicki and gently squeezed her shoulder.

'I've got two weeks of compassionate paid leave, too,' Paige said, choosing another slice of pizza, 'to get to know my new niece.'

'Sounds good to me,' Phoebe said, getting back to her pizza.

'That's actually really useful,' Leo said, setting down his glass.

'What do you mean, useful?' Paige asked, suspiciously.

'Well, the elders want to see all of you,' he said, quickly, as if that would lessen the blow.

'What do you mean, they want to see us?' Piper asked. 'Last time we went Up There we were gone for a month.'

'We can't leave for a month!' Paige said, 'Social Services are watching us!'

'And we have jobs,' Phoebe said. 'I can't leave the Mirror, and Piper can't leave the club.'

'I know that,' Leo said, soothingly. 'And they only want to see you for an hour or two, so you'll only be gone a couple of days. Can you get two days off work?' he asked, looking at Phoebe and Piper.

'I can,' Phoebe said, 'but not until next week. It'll take me at least a week to get ahead on the letters.'

'Okay, great,' Leo replied. 'How about you, honey?'

'No problem, my manager should be able to cope. But it'd better be Monday and Tuesday, they're the quietest nights,' Piper said, putting the bottle into the sink and holding her now sleepy son close to her chest.

'Good, now that's sorted,' Leo said. He offered his hands out to Piper. 'Do you want me to put him down?'

'Sure,' she said, gently handing Wyatt over to his father. 'Don't forget to change him first, though.'

'I won't,' Leo said, giving Piper a kiss on the cheek. 'See you guys in a minute,' he said, walking quietly out of the room.

'Bye,' Paige said, finishing off her last slice of pizza. She gestured to the pieces still in the boxes. 'Everybody done?' she asked.

'Mmm hmm,' Phoebe said, and Nicki and Piper nodded. Paige stood up and carried the leftover pizza to the breakfast bar, and she put it on a large plate, covered it and put it in the fridge.

'Can I ask something?' Nicki said, tentatively.

'Sure you can,' Piper said, as they all moved into the living area.

Nicki curled up into the armchair she'd sat in yesterday. 'Who are the elders? And why will it take two days to see them for two hours?'

The sisters smiled. Paige looked over to Piper. 'You want to take this one, sis?'

'Oh, sure,' Piper said, sarcasm in her voice. 'Right,' she turned to Nicki, 'it's kind of complicated, but stick with me, okay?'

'Okay,' Nicki said, curiously.

Piper sighed. 'Okay. The elders are kind of like… guardians of good magic. They live on a different plane, we call it Up There, because, actually, I don't know why, we just do.' She looked kind of puzzled, but shook her head slightly and carried on. 'With me so far?'

'I think so,' Nicki said, nodding.

'Great. Well, time moves differently Up There, an hour there is like a day here, so you have to be careful how long you spend there.'

'How do you get there?' Nicki asked, 'If it's a different plane?'

'That's where whitelighters come in. Leo's a whitelighter, and Paige and Wyatt are half-whitelighter.' She nodded over to Paige, who smiled under Nicki's curious gaze. 'They can take you Up There, and anywhere else, too. It's called orbing.'

'The blue and white lights you saw Leo arrive in yesterday,' Phoebe said.

'Okay,' Nicki said slowly, 'I get it, I think. So what are whitelighters?'

'They're immortal beings,' Piper explained, 'kind of guardian angels for good witches. They can orb, and shapeshift, and heal, like Leo did for you yesterday.'

'So how come you're half-whitelighter?' Nicki asked Paige, curiously.

'My dad was a whitelighter,' Paige said. 'We all have the same mom, but my dad was mom's whitelighter, and their dad was a mortal, the same as your mom's.'

'So you're their half-sister?' Nicki asked, working it out in her head.

'Yeah,' Paige said. 'I'm half-witch, half-whitelighter.'

'But you're still my aunt?'

'Oh honey, of course I am,' Paige said, reassuringly. 'Don't worry about that.'

'Okay,' Nicki said. 'So there're witches, whitelighters and demons. Anything else I need to know about?'

'Well, warlocks are evil witches,' Phoebe added, 'but they're pretty much the same as demons, only they can blink from one place to another.'

'So, warlocks too. That's it?'

'Pretty much,' Piper said. 'That's the basics anyway.'

'And what's blinking?' Nicki asked.

'The only real power that warlocks have. When they turn evil, they lose their other powers, but they can steal others,' Paige said, hugging a cushion to her chest.

'Do you guys have powers too?' Nicki asked, eagerly.

'Sure,' Piper said. She took a magazine off the coffee table and threw it into the air. She froze it at the top of its arc, and smiling at the look on Nicki's face, left it for a little while before blowing it up.

'Wow,' Nicki muttered. 'What was that?'

'That's what I can do.' Piper said, still smiling at the look of astonishment on her niece's face. 'I can freeze things, and blow them up.'

'Can you do that too?' Nicki asked Phoebe and Paige.

'Nope,' Paige replied. 'Ours are different.' She promptly orbed out, and appeared behind Nicki. 'Over here,' she said, laughing when Nicki's head shot around.

'That's orbing, right?' Nicki said, looking to Piper for confirmation. Piper nodded.

'I can move things with my mind, too,' Paige said, walking back over to the couch. 'Book!' she said, holding out her hand. A book disappeared from the top shelf of the bookcase, and reappeared in her hand. It was 'The Lord of the Rings'. Paige bent over and put it onto the coffee table. She then flung her hand out again. 'Book, shelf!' the book vanished from the table, and materialised back in its place on the shelf.

Nicki was astounded. 'That was so cool! What can you do?' she asked Phoebe eagerly.

'Nothing quite as flashy,' Phoebe said, smiling. 'I can levitate,' she said, rising out of her chair and hovering by the ceiling for a few moments before gently floating back down. 'And I get premonitions, which means that I see flashes of the future sometimes. I can also feel what other people are feeling,' she said, settling herself back onto the couch next to Paige.

Nicki was captivated. 'Wow,' she said, under her breath. 'What could my mom do?' she added as an afterthought.

'She could move things with her mind, different to Paige though, and she could astral project, which is being in two places at once,' Piper said, quietly.

'Okay,' Nicki said. 'How about Wyatt?'

'He's too little for us to be able to tell really, but he seems to have a lot of power,' Piper said.

'Do I have any powers?' Nicki asked, timidly.

'Yeah, you do,' Paige said, 'although we don't know what they are yet, because they're bound.'

'What does that mean?' Nicki asked.

'It means you can't use them yet,' Phoebe said gently. She looked to Piper and Paige and asked them a question silently with her eyes. They both knew what she was talking about, and nodded. 'If you want,' Phoebe continued, seriously, 'we could unbind them so you can use them. Would you like that?'

'Of course!' Nicki said. 'When can we do that?'

'You'll probably need a little control when we go see the elders,' Piper said, 'so we should do it soon, if you're sure.'

'I'm sure,' Nicki said.

'Okay then,' Phoebe said. 'How about tomorrow?'

--End of Chapter Fourteen--


	15. Words From the Other Side

**Mysterious Midnight **- Happy birthday for last week! Wow, sweet sixteen huh, I've got my eighteenth in a couple of months (May 12th 1987, same as Nicki)! Thanks for your review!

**CuteLittleBritt** - Sorry, you'll have to wait another couple of days to find out what her powers are, but don't worry, I have big plans for them! Thanks for reviewing!

**writerchic16** - Wow, you read the whole thing in one day, that's quite impressive. How long did it take you? I'm just curious really. Thanks for your review, and good luck with your story.

**PrUe AnD AnDy!** - Am glad you like! Thanks for your review!

**PrueTrudeau** - She understood it all quickly because she already believes in magic, so she doesn't really have that to get over. Granted, if she didn't, it would have taken her like ten times as long. Thanks for reviewing!

**InTheForestsOfTheNight** - Thanks for your review! I hope your story is coming on well!

**AmyH.** - I know what you mean about the elders, they annoy me too, and they always spoil everything. But I guess they're kind of necessary, otherwise things would get a little out of control. Besides, in five or six chapters' time they're going to do something nice, so we can forgive them for that. Thanks for your review!

-Chapter Fifteen-

Breakfast the next morning was a rather silent affair. Piper was still half-asleep, having spent the best part of the last night at the club again. Phoebe and Paige were both quiet, each thinking about how their lives would be different in a few hours' time. Nicki was stirring her cereal absentmindedly, not eating, and even Wyatt was picking up on the tension, and was sitting silently, chewing on mouthfuls of porridge Piper was giving him.

The silence was broken when Leo orbed into the middle of the kitchen, a worried look on his face. Paige and Phoebe looked up from their cups of coffee, but Nicki's attention remained fixed on her spoon, going round and round.

'Everything okay?' Piper asked, wiping a stray bit of porridge from her nose.

'Er, yeah,' Leo replied, looking at the distracted faces around him. 'We just need to talk,' he continued, 'are you guys done eating?'

'Looks like it,' Paige said, getting up. She gestured silently to Nicki, who was still captivated by her cereal. 'Talk?' she said, although her eyes said more.

Leo shook his head.

Piper gave Wyatt the last spoonful of porridge and wiped his mouth with a damp cloth. She went to put the bowl and cloth in the sink. 'Do you want to watch some cartoons?' she said, giving Nicki's shoulder a squeeze as she walked back to Wyatt.

Nicki jerked out of her trance. 'Sure,' she said quietly, dropping her spoon into the bowl with a clatter. She stood up and followed Piper and Wyatt into the living room.

A minute or two later, Piper came back into the kitchen and sat down at the table next to Paige. 'So what's the problem?' she asked, helping herself to a cup of strong coffee.

'The elders are worried about releasing Nicki's powers,' Leo said, taking a cup from Piper's outstretched hand.

Paige drained her cup and set it back onto the table. 'Of course they are. They're always worried about something,' she said, scornfully.

'Why?' Phoebe asked, curiously, running a hand back through her hair.

'It's because her powers are partially demonic,' Leo continued. 'She'll need a lot of guidance, if she's not to give in to evil.'

'We can give her that though, right?' Piper said, leaning back in her chair. She could see Wyatt in his playpen and Nicki curled up on the couch, laughing at some cartoons. 'So long as we keep her here, keep her safe.'

'You should be able to, but she'll need a lot of support. You need to be aware how hard this is going to be,' Leo said.

Paige nodded. 'We need to do it,' she said. 'It's what Nicki wants, and we can all be here for her.'

'It's what Prue would have wanted,' Phoebe said quietly, smiling.

'I say we go for it,' Piper said, tearing her eyes away from her son and niece.

'Okay, just so long as you know,' Leo said, taking a long drink of coffee.

At that moment, Wyatt's cries filled the manor. As one, they all got up and rushed into the living room. Wyatt was sitting in his playpen, screaming. His force field was up, and it was perfectly evident why. There was a demon standing behind Nicki on the couch, he'd grabbed her head from behind and was holding an athame to her throat. Nicki's eyes were focused, and she drew her right leg up, kicking the demon in the head, causing him to let go of her head. She drew back and stood up to face him.

Leo ran over to Wyatt and orbed him out of the room, and Piper threw her hands up. Nicki froze, but the demon just shrugged it off. 'He doesn't freeze! Why doesn't he freeze?'

Phoebe levitated up and kicked him in the head, somersaulting over him.

'Athame!' Paige called, and it vanished from his hand into hers. She threw it quickly at the demon, but he grabbed the still frozen Nicki and used her as a shield. The athame buried itself up to the hilt in her abdomen, causing her to break free from the freeze. She gasped with shock, and Phoebe mirrored her actions from the other side of the room, bending over double with pain. Noticing that his shield was now moving, the demon threw Nicki across the room. Her head hit the beam above the door with a sickening crack, and she crumpled into a heap on the floor.

Now that Nicki was unconscious, Phoebe was free from her pain, and she started to fight the demon from behind. Paige was calling for various inanimate objects from around the room and throwing them at the demon, being careful not to hit Phoebe.

'Leo!' Piper called, trying to blow the demon up. She looked to Nicki, and was relieved to see her breathing, but was becoming increasingly worried by the large pool of blood forming around her. She wanted so desperately to run to her side, but she couldn't leave the demon. 'Leo!' she called again, still trying to blow up the demon, but she was still only slightly burning him. When she finally saw orbs appearing around Nicki's still body, she turned her full attention to trying to kill the demon.

Phoebe was making a little headway; it looked as though the demon was getting tired, and Paige was running out of objects to throw, but was still keeping the demon's fireballs from hurting anyone.

Piper felt a rush of warmth flow through her as Nicki was enveloped in a healing light. 'You do not hurt my family!' she said, her words alternated with explosions, getting stronger and stronger. She finished off by throwing her hands up, and holding them there. The demon exploded in an array of bright lights and flames, and the ground shook.

Phoebe took a deep breath and straightened her top. 'Wow, Piper,' she said, giving her sister a look of admiration.

'Looks like your powers are developing,' Paige said, as they all approached Leo and Nicki. 'Is she okay?'

'She will be,' Leo said, 'but this could take a while. She's got some internal bleeding and her skull's shattered.'

Piper winced. 'Ouch. I'm sorry,' she said, looking at Phoebe and Paige, 'I forgot she froze.'

'The sooner she gets her powers,' Phoebe said, crouching down and holding Nicki's still bleeding head in her lap, 'the better.'

It took Leo nearly a full minute to heal Nicki's injuries. She woke up with a gasp and tried to sit up, but Phoebe held her shoulders gently. 'Just lie still for a minute,' she said, stroking her niece's hair.

Paige came in from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water. 'Here,' she said, holding it out.

'Thanks,' Phoebe said, taking it and helping Nicki to gently sit up. She handed Nicki the glass, and encouraged her to drink it.

Nicki took a small sip, and instantly felt better, her head clearing. 'What happened?' she asked, looking around. 'Where did the demon go?'

'Piper blew him up,' Paige said, helping Nicki to her feet. 'Quite impressively, I might add.' She gave her sister an approving nod, which Piper returned.

'You didn't do too badly yourself.' Piper said, as Phoebe stood up and brushed herself down. 'So, you want to go and get yourself some powers?' she asked Nicki, steering her gently over to the staircase.

'Absolutely,' Nicki said, following everyone up the stairs.

When they reached the landing, they heard Wyatt still whimpering gently from the nursery. Piper went in to calm him, and brought him up to the attic with them, bouncing him softly on her hip.

It was the first time that Nicki had been in the attic. She looked around in wonder, picking up old toys, potion bottles and discarded spells. 'Wow,' she said, as she stopped by the Book of Shadows. She looked back to see everyone smiling. 'What?' she said, and then her vision blurred, and she swayed on her feet a little.

'Nothing, honey,' Phoebe said, walking up to her. 'Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?'

'Just for a little while,' Nicki said. 'My head still kind of hurts.'

'Okay then,' Phoebe said, gently taking her arm and settling her on the couch in the far corner, out of earshot. Nicki fell back, her head leaning on the armrest, her feet curled under her, eyes closed. She sighed, her face in a frown, and rubbed her temples.

'I'll be okay in a second,' she said, visibly relaxing.

Paige looked worriedly over to Leo as Phoebe covered Nicki with a blanket. 'Is she okay?' she muttered quietly, so only Leo could hear her.

'Yeah, she'll just have a headache for a little while,' Leo replied.

Piper put Wyatt down in the playpen, and gave him his favourite blue elephant. She then walked over to the Book, and was joined by Leo, Paige and finally Phoebe. She lifted the heavy cover. 'So, which spell do we use?' she asked, looking between her sisters.

'I'm not really sure,' Phoebe said. 'I mean, this was the one that gave us our powers, but it's kind of specific to us.'

'Will it work if her powers have been bound?' Piper asked, curiously, as she flipped quickly through the rest of the Book. 'I've never seen another spell like that in here, I don't think.'

'Neither have I,' Paige said, as Piper turned back to the very first page, their Awakening Spell. 'Well, we could always rewrite it,' she said, warily.

'Couldn't that be a little dangerous?' Piper asked. 'I mean, we'll have to be really careful,' she said, worry in her voice.

'Does anyone have a better idea?' Phoebe said. No-one answered. 'I guess we have no choice then,' she said with a sigh.

At that moment, the pages of the Book of Shadows begin to turn violently, with no-one touching them. The Book settled on the first blank page, and then words in emerald green ink started forming on the page.

''The Unbinding Spell,'' Phoebe read aloud. 'Wait, Piper!'

'I know,' Piper said, tracing the words with her fingers. 'That's Prue's handwriting.'

Paige continued to read, as the spell seemed to write itself. ''For One Who's Powers have been Bound'. Wow, Prue really knows what she's doing, hey?' The writing stopped; the verse complete.

'Looks good to me,' Piper said, reading through the spell. 'Look,' she said, pointing to the page, 'we read this part, and then Nicki says the last two lines.'

To their surprise, a last line appeared at the very bottom of the page, as if as an afterthought. 'Please tell my gorgeous little girl that I love her.'

They all looked over to Nicki, whose face now had some colour in it, and smiled. 'Don't worry, honey,' Piper said quietly. 'We'll never let her forget it.'

-End of Chapter Fifteen-

Don't worry, I should have the next chapter up in the next couple of days, in which I promise she'll get her powers!


	16. An Introduction to Power

**Mysterious Midnight **- I'm really glad you like the end; I couldn't resist putting a little bit of Prue in there too! Thanks for you reviews; they're awesome!

**lillynilly** - I'm glad you like my story, hopefully you'll like this chapter too. Thanks for your review!

**Brooklyn Halliwell** - It doesn't matter if you haven't reviewed before, I'm really happy you have done now! Thanks for reviewing!

**InTheForestsOfTheNight** - Wow, high praise! Thanks for that, your reviews are always really complimentary, they give me a buzz! I hope you like this chapter too!

**AmyH.** - I'm glad you liked that scene; I liked writing it! Thanks for your review!

-Chapter Sixteen-

It took nearly twenty minutes for Nicki's headache to pass, by which time the sisters had managed to find everything the spell called for. Leo had taken Wyatt downstairs, and Nicki was sitting cross-legged in a circle of candles, her hair now loose around her shoulders, falling like a screen to hide her face.

'Are you okay, honey?' Paige asked, holding out a slip of paper.

Nicki tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing a nervous smile. 'Yeah,' she said, taking the piece of paper. 'What's this?'

'You have to say that,' Piper said, lighting a bunch of sage and dropping it into a large clay bowl, 'right after we finish chanting, okay?'

'Okay,' Nicki said, looking slightly apprehensive.

'You ready?' Phoebe asked, smiling reassuringly.

Nicki nodded, her face resolved. 'Yeah,' she said, swallowing audibly. 'Let's do this.'

Phoebe, Paige and Piper joined hands, standing outside the circle, the book in plain sight. They began to chant.

'Powers bound before first breath, come now here and manifest, find the place from whence you came, this girl who bears the Halliwell name. Let her have what's hers by right, raise her to a greater height, come for this child to complete, and in her your solace meet.'

The candles' flames rose to nearly three foot high, and the smoke from the sage formed a vortex around Nicki. From inside this clamour, Nicki's voice could be heard, shakily reading the two lines on the parchment in front of her.

'Settle with my heart your goal, return and make my spirit whole.'

The flames rose to the ceiling, encasing Nicki in a dome of fire. The heat was so intense that it forced the sisters over to the other side of the attic. They looked worriedly on as Nicki rose inside the dome, her head lolling from side to side as if she were a rag doll.

Suddenly, the smoke from the sage turned red, and rushed outwards with a dull thump, extinguishing the candles and knocking everything in the attic, including the sisters, to the floor. Nicki fell to the floor and lay there, unmoving.

Piper, Paige and Phoebe all got up immediately and rushed over to her side. They stood, as if afraid to touch her, shock on their faces.

Nicki's loose curls had become poker straight, her hair now almost reaching her hips. It was still black, but was more inky now than raven coloured and there were ice blue streaks throughout it, the same colour as Deimos' skin. She wasn't unconscious; but was lying on her back, her breathing laboured. Her eyes were rolling and unfocussed, her back arched, face stretched with pain. The room started to gently shake, and objects started to fly all around them, soaring between them and smashing into walls.

'She's not dangerous,' Phoebe said, bending down and avoiding a lamp that was hurtling towards her head, 'I can feel it.' She took Nicki's head in her lap, and started whispering comfortingly to her.

Paige and Piper kneeled too, trying to calm her down.

'Shhh,' Phoebe said brushing Nicki's hair away from her face, 'it's okay honey, it's okay,' she said, but her eyes were full of worry.

'What do we do?' Paige quietly asked Piper, also trying to soothe her, whilst orbing out any objects that seemed to get a little too close.

'We just have to bring her back,' Piper said, holding Nicki's shoulders on the floor to get her attention. Nicki tried to resist, but Piper leant down. 'Look at me,' she said firmly, 'just look at me, honey.'

'It's okay,' Phoebe said, quietly. 'Shhh, Nicki, it's okay.' She was still sitting behind Nicki, holding her head in her lap and running her hands across Nicki's face and hair, trying to elicit a response.

Piper pushed Nicki's shoulders back to the ground, and shook her slightly. 'Look at me,' she said, loudly.

Nicki seemed to break out of a trance, her eyes wildly searching, before focussing on Piper's face, directly above her. Piper gasped, and Phoebe and Paige could see why. Nicki's normally blue eyes were a fiery red. Not like Cole's were; just the iris had changed, but it was still a shocking sight to behold.

As she concentrated on Piper's face, Nicki's breathing slowly returned to normal, the pain leaving her face.

'It's okay,' Phoebe repeated, stroking her hair.

'You're okay,' said Piper, making sure to keep her attention.

With Nicki now becoming more aware of her surroundings, the objects in the air slowed and fell to the ground.

'Table!' Paige said, holding her hand above them and orbing out the table which had stopped directly over their heads. She returned it to its rightful place, and then turned to make sure that everyone else was okay.

Nicki sighed, defeated, and her eyes changed back to their usual blue. She immediately started sobbing, tears spilling down reddened cheeks. 'I'm sorry,' she said, bringing her hands up to her face. 'I'm so sorry.'

Piper took her hands off of Nicki's shoulders and drew her up into a hug. 'It's okay,' she said, rubbing her back. 'Don't worry about it, it's okay.'

'Did she do that?' Phoebe asked Paige, slowly standing up and indicating to the ruined attic.

'Uh huh,' Paige said, retrieving the Book of Shadows from underneath the upturned couch. 'Looks like she inherited a little telekinesis from her mom, hey?'

'Wow,' Phoebe said, looking back down to Piper and Nicki.

Piper was standing up, and Nicki had stopped crying; she was rubbing her face with her hands.

'Are you okay?' Paige asked, as she put the Book on its pedestal and flicked through it.

'Yeah, thanks,' Nicki said, as Piper and Phoebe helped her to her feet. She swayed a little as she stood up, but then seemed to find her footing. 'What happened?' she asked, fingering her new hair.

'Looks like you've inherited some new powers,' Phoebe said, pulling her into a tight hug. 'Are you sure you're okay?' she asked, resting her chin on the top of Nicki's head.

'Yeah,' Nicki said, muffled. 'You can let go now, Aunt Phoebe,' she added; Phoebe's grip was getting stronger, and claustrophobia was setting in.

'Oh, right, sorry,' Phoebe said, letting go of her niece and smoothing down her hair. 'So what do you think about the new style?' she asked, picking out one of the ice blue streaks.

'I wasn't expecting it,' Nicki said, honestly. 'But I kind of like it, I think.' She looked pensive for a second, and then continued. 'Do you mind me calling you Aunt Phoebe?' she asked.

'Of course not,' Phoebe said, elbowing her teasingly. 'What else would you call me?'

'Do you mind?' Nicki asked Piper and Paige, looking slightly worried.

'Go ahead,' Paige said from the Book, still rifling through its pages.

'No,' Piper said, going over to Paige. 'It just needs a little getting used to, I suppose,'

she added, smiling at Nicki. 'What are you looking for?' she asked Paige, putting her hand on her arm to stop her frantic searching.

'The Vanishing Spell,' Paige said. 'I know it's here somewhere.' She removed her arm from Piper's grip and turned another page. 'Ah, here it is!' she said. 'Can I?' she asked Piper and Phoebe. 'What about the personal gain?'

'I don't think it will be an issue,' Piper said, 'as all this was caused by magic. Go right ahead, I definitely don't want to clear this lot up.'

Phoebe waved her hand dismissively. 'Go for it,' she said.

'I'm sorry,' Nicki said quietly, looking at the floor. 'I'm sorry for messing up the attic.'

'Hey,' Phoebe said, lifting Nicki's chin. 'Not your fault, okay sweetie?'

'Okay,' Nicki said meeting her eyes.

'Right then,' Paige said, cracking her fingers. 'Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the seen to be unseen.'

White lights illuminated the attic, and as they faded it was revealed almost exactly as it was before the spell had been cast. Everywhere was sparkling clean, and the potion ingredients and books were arranged much more neatly than they had been that morning.

'Hey, looking good,' Piper said, taking a look round. 'I won't have to clean up here for a while now,' she said, smiling.

Phoebe, Paige and Nicki all laughed a little. Then, they all headed downstairs. As they passed the landing, Leo emerged from the bedroom, balancing Wyatt on his hip.

'Everything go okay?' he asked, handing the baby over to Piper.

'Umm, yeah,' Paige said. 'I think so.'

'What do you mean, you think so?' Leo said looking slightly worried.

'Looks like our golden girl here has a little more power than we first realised,' Paige said, exchanging a small smile with Nicki.

'Going to have to keep an eye on her,' Piper said, smiling. 'Just until you have some control,' she added, as she caught Nicki's worried eye.

'Okay,' Nicki said. They all sat down in the living room, Phoebe, Nicki and Paige all curled up together on the couch. 'Am I dangerous?' Nicki asked, quietly.

'No honey,' Phoebe said, reassuringly. 'We won't let anything happen, believe me.'

'Okay,' Nicki said.

Suddenly, three warlocks blinked into the foyer, looking menacingly at the assembly in the living room. Wyatt gurgled and held out his elephant, as if offering it to one of the warlocks. Nicki giggled at him.

The warlocks looked to her, and a spark of recognition danced in the eyes of the biggest, evidently the leader. 'The heir of Deimos has her powers!' he said, with reverence and fear in his voice.

Nicki looked shocked. 'What?' she said, and the other warlocks noted her too. They stood back, evidently unsure about her.

'We are going to have to do something about this warlock problem,' Piper said, handing Wyatt back to Leo.

This seemed to jolt the warlocks back to earth, and they rushed to attack, athames raised.

-End of Chapter Sixteen-


	17. Too Much to Handle

Sorry this took so long, I was having a severe case of writers' block, but yesterday I had a breakthrough, so I have like the next load of chapters all planned, they just seem to take forever to write, I'm sorry!

**Mysterious Midnight **- Update isn't really soon, I know, but I'm trying! Thanks for your review, as always!

**lillynilly** - Other than being Nicki's dad, Deimos is this über-powerful demon. You'll find out more about him in the next couple of chapters, I promise. Thanks for reviewing!

**PrueTrudeau** - Nicki will permanently look like this, so I guess it's lucky that there's nothing too out of the ordinary. Her demonic 'face' is basically her eyes changing colour, but that'll happen whenever she uses any of her powers. Thanks for your review!

**.milla-kohana.** - Whoa, calm down there girl, the next chapter is here! Thanks for reviewing, it made me laugh!

**InTheForestsOfTheNight** - I'm glad you think that everyone is in character; I'm trying really hard to get that right! Thanks for your review!

**AmyH.** - Thanks, I like the way I go on too! Review again, they make me happy!

Chapter Seventeen-

Leo orbed out again with Wyatt, trying to avoid presenting him as a target. Piper quickly raised her hands to attempt to freeze the three approaching warlocks. She was perhaps a fraction of a second too late, as the first warlock managed to throw his athame before becoming completely immobilised. It flew straight at Nicki, so quickly that no-one had a chance to react. Everything seemed to slow down, as they all watched the athame moving directly towards her chest; she didn't seem to be moving out of the way.

Nicki's face was shocked, her eyes pleading, and at the last possible moment she twisted, to try and avoid the path of the knife.

She was too late. As the athame first pierced her skin, she felt an abnormal feeling running through her body, like she was being shaken apart at the seams. Her breathing seemed to stop, her head feeling like she had no control over it any more. For a few seconds she couldn't see the tableau in the living room, the three frozen warlocks, and her three worried aunts. All she could see were pale blue flashes, erupting in front of her eyes like vivid fireworks. They were so bright that her eyes ached, but closing them had no effect, the explosions were still there, dancing erratically as if to their own chilling music. After it had passed, it took Nicki a couple of minutes to readjust to her surroundings. She finally opened her eyes to see her aunts around her, and she turned around to see the athame buried in the wall directly behind where she was standing. She felt her chest where the athame had cut her, to find only a small scratch.

'What happened?' she asked, astounded.

Piper blew up the three warlocks who were still standing there frozen, quite comically, actually. All three sisters turned to Nicki, who was looking as if she were about to faint.

'Looks like telekinesis wasn't all you inherited,' Paige said, walking behind her and pulling the athame from the wall. 'You okay?' she asked Nicki, realising her niece was still standing there, stunned.

'What?' Nicki said, turning to look at her. 'Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just a little lightheaded,' she assured them, as everyone was moving closer towards her, concern on their faces. 'What in hell did I just do?' she asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down.

'Well,' Phoebe said, sitting down next to her, 'you shimmered.'

'I what?' Nicki asked, looking slightly lost. Her head suddenly thumped and the world seemed to swim in front of her eyes.

'Whoa,' Phoebe said, holding Nicki's shoulder to stop her from keeling over. 'Are you okay?'

'Umm, yeah,' Nicki said, groggily, blinking several times to try and clear her head. 'I'm just going to get a glass of water,' she added, standing up. 'Oh, so not a good idea.' She swayed on her feet, falling back down onto the couch.

'It's okay,' Piper said, quickly getting up. 'I'll get it.' She hurried out of the room into the kitchen and returned quickly, holding out a glass of water to Nicki, who was held tight in Phoebe's arms.

Nicki gulped down almost the entire glass. 'Thanks,' she said, more lucidly. 'I feel better now.' Colour was returning to her cheeks, and her eyes looked more alive. 'So, what is this shimmering thing then?'

'It's like orbing,' Paige said, as she herself orbed over to the flight of stairs to demonstrate. 'It means you can travel from one place to another in the blink of an eye.'

'Okay,' Nicki said, slowly as she turned around to see Paige across the other side of the hall. 'So did it look like that when I did it?'

'Umm, not exactly,' Paige said. She held up the athame that she'd wrenched from the wall. 'Do you guys mind if I check the Book of Shadows?' she asked, waving it a little.

'Oh, yeah,' Piper said, 'go ahead. Could you go and tell Leo that he can come back down now as you go past?' she asked.

'Sure,' Paige said, as she mounted the rest of the stairs and walked out of sight.

'So what did it look like?' Nicki asked Phoebe impatiently.

'Kind of like you'd faded out, like in an old TV set,' Phoebe tried to explain.

'So could my mum do that as well?' Nicki asked curiously. 'I though you said she could only move things and do a-a-aril protection?'

'Astral projection,' Piper corrected. She was trying to avoid the inevitable conversation that they were going to have to have with their niece about her father and his powers. She was immensely relieved as she noticed Leo coming down the stairs. 'Where's Wyatt?' she asked him, quickly changing the subject.

'I've put him down for his nap,' Leo said, handing her the baby monitor and sitting down in an armchair. 'So what's going on?' he asked.

'Nicki shimmered,' Phoebe said, her eyes wide, picking up on Piper's reluctance to discuss Nicki's parentage.

'She what?' Leo said, slightly shocked.

'Yep, she shimmered,' Piper said.

'Is that bad?' Nicki asked, looking slightly worried.

'Well, not exactly,' said Leo, thoughtfully. 'I'm just wondering how we're going to keep track of a teenager who can transport herself from one place to another,' he said, grinning in Nicki's direction.

Nicki smiled, chuckling slightly. 'I wouldn't worry about that,' she said. 'I can't control it at all.'

'That'll come with practice,' Phoebe teased, nudging her gently in the ribs.

'It only took Paige a month or so to be able to orb properly,' Piper said. 'So we'll go through the teenage horror stage, don't worry about it.'

Nicki looked slightly embarrassed, and Piper laughed. 'I was joking, honey,' she said reassuringly.

'Oh, okay,' Nicki said, smiling slightly.

Paige's footsteps echoed down into the living room before she could be seen on the stairs. A few seconds later her black pumps came into view and Paige came slowly down the stairs, unsteadily balancing the open Book on her hip and holding the athame carefully in her other hand.

'I found the athame,' she said, setting the Book and the ritual knife down onto the table. 'Bad news, I'm afraid.'

Piper, Phoebe and Leo all bent over to see the page at which the Book lay open.

'Umm, Nicki, honey,' Phoebe said, not taking her eyes off the Book. 'Do you want to go down in the basement and do some training? I'll be down in a little while.'

'Sure, okay,' Nicki said, slightly confused. She left the room and they could hear the basement door opening and the light clicking on.

Piper sighed. 'This is just great. 'The Daggers of Deimos',' she read aloud. 'So what, are those warlocks his servants, or something?' she asked, looking up at the others.

'Looks that way,' Paige said, thudding down onto the couch next to Phoebe, taking Nicki's vacated seat.

End of Chapter Seventeen-


	18. Sorting Through

**Mysterious Midnight **- Update is relatively soon, for me anyway. As always, TFR!

**lillynilly** - Nicki's innately both good and evil, so it's like an inner struggle going on. Which, by the way, you will be seeing more of. TFR!

**Susan** - You must be prophetic or something, because I have plans to include one of the things you mentioned. I'm not telling you which though, so you have to keep reading to find out! TFR!

**PrueTrudeau** - There is something going on with those daggers, but it'll be a little while before you find out what, sorry! TFR!

**Brooklyn Halliwell** - Thanks, kind words indeed! Flattery will get you everywhere! TFR!

**.milla-kohana.** - I haven't seen Eurotrip, is it good? And I'm sorry you're sick, I am too at the moment, I have no idea where you are, but I think it's going around! TFR!

**maxfran510** - I'm glad you love my story, it makes me really happy! Yey! TFR!

**AmyH.** - Yep, the shimmering will take a while. Look for some interesting deals with that in a while. TFR!

Chapter Eighteen

Nicki grabbed the athletic tape off of the shelf in the basement and sat down heavily on the floor. She took off her shoe and sock and began taping up her ankle again. _It must be really bad if they don't want me to see. I wonder what's happening._ Deciding that she'd probably be told if she needed to know, Nicki put the subject out of her mind and stood up, pulling her shoe back on. She quickly taped up her wrists, and turned to face the punching bag.

Her head was still slightly groggy, from both the ritual in the attic and the shimmering, so Nicki expected to have to go slowly. She stretched some of her major muscles, slightly surprised to find that she could stretch further than she'd been able to before. Nicki was getting a little confused. She couldn't manage to get a decent amount of tension in any of her muscles; it was like she could just keep on going. Curious, she tried a hamstring stretch, and found herself falling down into the splits. She tried it the other way, with the same results.

Nicki was now getting slightly afraid, and she decided to try the punch bag. She hit the bag with a tentative right cross, and was visibly stunned when it swayed dangerously. She tried a roundhouse kick, with a little more force, and the bolt holding the bag to the ceiling shook, dust falling down from the concrete.

_Wow. Maybe I'd better stick to doing some katas._

The noise made when Nicki hit the bag reverberated throughout the house, and made Piper smile. She leant back in her chair. 'We're going to have to tell her at some point,' she said, closing her eyes and sighing gently.

'How do you break news like that to a child?' Paige asked, although she was unsure whether she was talking to the others or to herself. Judging by the atmosphere in the room, nobody was going to answer her. Paige looked up, meeting Phoebe's helpless look, and turned to Piper and Leo for answers.

'I don't know,' Piper said quietly. 'But if Deimos's followers are really still around, she's going to need to know.' Piper turned the page of the Book, as if hoping that there was more information on the next page that they hadn't noticed yet. She sighed gently as she read the title 'Furies'.

'Can we at least leave it until tonight?' Phoebe asked, frustration evident in her voice. _I can't believe that they're going to land this on her as well._

'Are you okay sweetie?' Paige asked worriedly, looking up from the Book. 'What's the matter?'

Phoebe got up from the couch and walked over to the window. 'I just hate it that this is happening,' Phoebe said angrily, her voice rising. She moved the net curtains slightly with her hand, looking enviously at the people walking up and down the street completely oblivious to the world that she and her family lived in. _Lucky them._ 'Why does she have to go through all this?' She turned around and looked accusingly at the others in the room. Her eyes were alive, frightened and furious. 'How can all this happen to one person, one little girl?'

Paige got up and went to Phoebe's side. 'I don't know honey,' she said, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, 'but we will help her through this. All of us, together.' Paige's eyes were pleading with her, trying to get her to calm down. 'She's going to need all of us, if she's going to be able to deal with this.'

The anger left Phoebe quickly, and she just sighed, her eyes sinking to the floor. 'Okay,' she said, submissively, taking Paige's hand from her shoulder and giving it a small squeeze before dropping it. 'I'm going to go work off some frustration and do some training with Nicki,' she said, heading to the stairs. 'Whatever happens, count me with the majority.'

'Sure,' Piper said, dully, but so quietly that Phoebe couldn't even hear her from the landing.

Phoebe walked into her room, and closed the door, resting her back against it. Her eyes fell on her bed, on all Nicki's new clothes neatly folded beside it, and her old backpack, leaning forlornly against the leg of the bed. Phoebe's eyes filled with tears, and she brushed them away angrily. She walked to her chest-of-drawers and pulled out a sports top, some thick socks and some tracksuit trousers. When she turned around again she was determined not to get emotional, and her eyes were hard as she quickly changed, tossing her old clothes into the washing hamper at the end of the bed and grabbing her trainers from next to the door.

Phoebe tied her hair into a ponytail, pulling a hair tie from her wrist as she walked quickly down the stairs. Piper, Paige and Leo looked up as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and Phoebe smiled at them shakily. 'I'll see you guys later,' she said, quietly.

'Okay then honey,' Paige said with concern.

Phoebe looked at her shoes, as if working up the courage to say something, but she decided against it and just looked longingly at her sisters before heading into the kitchen.

'Do you think she's okay?' Paige asked Piper, as Phoebe left. Paige knew the answer, but wanted a little reassurance from her older sister.

'I hope so,' Piper said, shrugging her shoulders and letting out a breath she'd been holding. 'She just needs a little time, and being with Nicki will help her right now. Don't worry about her honey, not yet; we need to focus this at the moment.' She gestured to the Book, which was still open at the 'Daggers of Deimos' page.

'Right,' Paige said, flicking through until she found the page on Deimos himself. 'Maybe this'll help,' she said, hopefully.

'Maybe,' Piper said, distractedly. She was still looking after Phoebe, although her hand was resting on the open pages of the Book of Shadows.

The baby monitor on the table lit up, Wyatt's cries emitting from it, interspersed with a little static. Piper turned towards the table, finally dragging her eyes away from the door to the kitchen. She picked the baby monitor off the table and turned it over in her hands, staring at it absentmindedly as it wailed at her.

'Do you want me to go?' Leo asked, jogging Piper out of her daze.

'No thanks,' she said, getting up and brushing herself down. 'Can you two keep working on the Book, find out all you can about these daggers?'

'Sure,' Paige said, and Leo smiled at his wife before bending his head back down to study the Book with his sister-in-law.

Phoebe heard the baby monitor from the kitchen, where she'd been sitting at the table. She didn't know why she couldn't bring herself to go down with her niece, but it was as if an invisible barrier in her head just wouldn't let her. She held her head in her hands, kneading her temple to try and relieve the ache in her head, the thoughts rushing around it. It felt as though her head was going to explode, there was too much going on and she couldn't sort out the mess into coherent theories and ideas, it was giving her a mammoth headache.

Phoebe lifted her head from her hand and took a deep breath. _Come on now girl, pull yourself together._ She walked over to the medicine cabinet and took out a couple of aspirin, and then a bottle of water from the fridge. Phoebe quickly took the pills, then looked at the water in her hand. She grinned slightly, grabbed another fresh bottle from the fridge, and headed down towards the basement.

End of Chapter Eighteen

For the uninitiated, katas are like routines in karate, you learn them and then they practice all the moves that you use.


	19. Intermission

Hey everybody, I'm back. I know it's been a while, but I can't wallow in self-pity any more. Thanks to all of you who sent me such supportive reviews, **SJSASA-16**, **.elementbabe.**, **Mysterious Midnight**, **Amy P. Halliwell** and **piperleo4eva**, you guys are great. I hope to get regular updates going for this fic, but I'm still a little shaky so it might take a while. I know that technically this is chapter nineteen, as the last one was only an A/N, but I'm a sucker for continuity.

--Chapter Twenty--

Phoebe walked slowly down the basement steps, a water bottle in each hand. She kept her eyes on her niece, trying not to distract her.

Nicki had her eyes closed; she was slowly changing her stance, completing each movement calmly and deliberately. She brought her left hand up to block an imaginary blow, before pirouetting gracefully but solidly and performing a textbook roundhouse. As soon as she'd lowered her right foot gently to the floor, she brought her hands together and gave a short bow. Her head snapped up when she heard Phoebe clapping softly.

'Pretty impressive,' Phoebe said, smiling and handing Nicki the unopened bottle.

'Thank you,' Nicki replied, taking a long drink before wiping her mouth with her arm. 'How long were you watching me?' she asked nervously, shifting her weight back and forth between her feet.

'Not long, don't worry,' Phoebe reassured her. 'You're good, you know that?' she added. She wanted Nicki so desperately to have a little confidence.

'Thanks,' Nicki said, blushing slightly and looking at the floor. 'I think the spell did something to me though…' she trailed off looking anxious.

Phoebe sat down on the bottom step and patted the wood next to her, inviting Nicki to join her. 'Something like what?'

Nicki sat down heavily and sighed. 'I'm just, stronger and faster than I used to be,' she said. 'It feels like my entire body is… really aware or something, I have total control over everything. I mean, I nearly broke the punching bag,' she added, a guilty smile playing bout her lips.

'Don't worry about that,' Phoebe said, dismissively. 'Your new powers seem to have given you a boost, sounds like nothing but a plus to me.' She looked over to her niece, but Nicki was still looking slightly apprehensive. 'I'll tell you what,' she said, getting up and stretching out her back. 'I'm better technically than you are, but you have a way of moving that seems to always keep you in control.'

Nicki nodded, and stood up as well. She took the two half-full bottles of water and put them on the shelf.

'So here's the deal,' Phoebe said, smiling and grabbing the athletic tape. She quickly taped up her wrists, bobbing on the balls of her feet. 'I'll teach you some new moves, new methods, and you teach me how to move. Okay?'

'Okay, sure,' Nicki replied, a small smile finally gracing her lips.

Phoebe grinned. There was nothing like a bit of hard concentration, sweat and pain to make you forget about things for a while.

Unfortunately, Paige and Piper didn't have any distractions to take their minds off of the current situation. Piper had changed Wyatt and brought him down into the living room with her, and they were all sat around the small coffee table. The tension in the room was almost tangible; the only one who seemed oblivious was Wyatt. He was sucking happily on the index finger of Piper's right hand, watching everyone with his big, blue eyes.

It was Paige who broke the silence. 'I think we all need a bit of space,' she said, looking earnestly between Piper and Leo. 'Maybe we should give it a day or so? You know, before we have 'the talk'?'

'I think you're right,' Piper said. 'She has enough to deal with right now. The last thing she needs is to find out the truth about her parents.' Piper absentmindedly held Wyatt a little closer to her, cradling him in the crook of her left arm. She looked over at Leo, smiling to him about the look of contentment on their son's face, only to find him staring into space. 'Problem?' she asked, the spark in her eyes slowly fading at the prospect of something else to worry about.

'What?' Leo said, snapping back to Earth. 'Uh no, actually,' he said, smiling gently.

'So what is it then?' Paige asked, reaching over to grab her purse from the table. She took out her cell phone and started to play with it, twirling it around in her hands as she spoke. 'What's got you so out of it?'

'Just thinking about you three,' he said, leaning back in his chair and smiling. 'Prue would have been proud of you, you know that?'

Piper and Paige just smiled.

'Thank you, honey,' Piper said. 'That really means a lot.'

--End of Chapter Twenty--

I know it's short, and I know it's not good. I'm going on holiday tomorrow so it might be a while before I can update again. Please review, it would really help.


	20. Serenity

Big thanks, as always, to my reviewers. This is short too, I know, but I'm working on it!

**Mysterious Midnight** - Sorry to say that this one's still not up to my usual length, but I'm getting there, hey? TFR.

**clegs** - I'm glad that you like it. TFR.

**lillynilly** - I know it was short, I apologise. They should periodically be getting longer now, I hope. TFR.

**o0oWeird1o0o** - Thanks for the praise, and the support, it was a really nice review. TFR.

--Chapter Twenty--

Phoebe and Nicki spent nearly three hours down in the basement training, practising everything from basic defensive stances, through attacking procedures to weapons training. When they finally emerged into the kitchen, they found Paige humming slightly along with the radio as she cut up some salad vegetables. Wyatt was sitting behind her in his highchair, playing with his rattle happily.

'Hey,' Phoebe said, panting, as she threw the two empty water bottles into the trash can. 'Everything okay?'

'Hmm, what?' Paige asked, turning around, 'Oh, yeah, fine. Piper's at the club, and I've got no idea where Leo's got to. Want something to eat?'

'Yeah, definitely,' Phoebe said, looking hungrily at the spread on the table. 'Did you do all this?'

'Much as I'd like to say 'yes', Piper did it before she left for work. Do you guys want to freshen up first?' she asked, looking at their red faces and sweat-slicked hair.

Phoebe looked back to Nicki, who had been hovering quietly in the corner of the room. 'You okay honey?'

'Yeah,' Nicki replied quietly, lifting her gaze and meeting Phoebe's eyes, smiling slightly. 'Want to go again?' she asked, mischievously.

'Hell no,' Phoebe said, laughing. 'You've definitely had an increase in energy from your powers, haven't you?'

'I guess,' Nicki said, shrugging.

'Go take a quick shower sweetie,' Phoebe said, 'and I'll go in after you.'

'Sure,' Nicki said, smiling a little and heading up the stairs.

Phoebe and Paige watched her leave in silence. When they heard the tell-tale sounds of the shower starting, their eyes met.

'She's certainly coming out of her shell a little,' Paige said, smiling and turning back to her salad.

'Yeah, and she's one hell of a fighter; she definitely kicked my ass a few times,' Phoebe replied, heading over to the fridge and peering into it quizzically.

'What are you looking for?' Paige asked, coming up behind her.

'Salad dressing,' Phoebe said.

'It's on the table already,' Paige said, grinning and getting back to her salad.

Phoebe turned around, and looked at the table. There was a very obvious bottle of salad dressing right in the middle of it. 'Right,' she said, shaking her head as if to dislodge the fuzziness there. 'You know what? I think I'm going to go take a shower now.'

Paige laughed gently. 'I think that's a good idea. I'll see you two in a little while.'

After they'd all eaten, Phoebe went to read quietly in bed. Although it was only eight thirty, she'd been training solidly for three hours and was feeling it in her muscles. Besides, it gave her some time to think. Although she'd never regret letting Nicki stay in her room, she was beginning to miss having her personal space.

Paige and Nicki were sitting in the living room, Nicki was holding Wyatt gently and Paige was watching; she'd let Nicki give him his last bottle. Nicki's smile was incredibly large, her eyes never left Wyatt's as he hungrily drank his milk. _There's something about babies, _Paige thought, _which just calms everything down._ Indeed, the house seemed the most peaceful it had been since Nicki had arrived on Thursday, just two days ago.

When Piper arrived home at three thirty, it was to a quiet and even relatively clean house. She did her usual checks on all of the rooms before going to bed, the kitchen was cleaned, the leftover food in the fridge. She switched out the light to the basement, unknowingly left on by Phoebe and Nicki when they'd left earlier. Piper wearily climbed the stairs, switching out the lights on the landing before popping her head around Phoebe's door. Her niece was curled up in the foetal position yet again, her face hidden behind her new mane of blue-black hair. Piper silently crept into the room and up to the bed. She lovingly tucked Nicki's hair behind her exposed ear, faulting slightly when she saw the frown creasing her niece's face. _One day, I'm going to find out the troubles that plague her dreams._ She knelt down next to Nicki and stroked her hair away from her face, murmuring soft, comforting words. She knew that it didn't really matter what she said, the tone of voice was what was important.

It took nearly ten minutes for Nicki's features to soften. Piper stood up slowly, kissing her niece on the forehead as she tucked the covers tighter around her. She closed the door quietly, before moving down the hall and opening the door to Paige's room. Phoebe was curled up in a manner eerily similar to Nicki, although her face was expressionless. Her book was put neatly on the bedside table, from where Paige had retrieved it earlier. Paige was sleeping on her front, as she always did. One hand was bent across the bed in Phoebe's direction, and the moonlight coming in from the window allowed Piper to glimpse the small smile playing about her face. Piper crept slowly into the room, silently retrieving the baby monitor from where it was sitting next to Phoebe's book. She smiled and closed the door.

After using the bathroom and getting ready for bed, she walked into Wyatt's nursery. Her son was sleeping soundly on his back, his head turned away from the light, his fists curled around the fleecy blanket wrapped around him. She sat in the deep chair next to the cot and watched him for several minutes. When the tiredness threatened to overcome her she rose wearily from the chair. She stroked her son's cheek and kissed him on the forehead before switching off the baby monitor and putting it next to it's counterpart on the changing table. When she climbed into her empty bed she yawned heavily. She switched off the bedside lamp and rolled over, missing Leo in the bed next to her. _At least the rest of my family is here, where they belong. All my family but my big sister, the one person missing who would complete the picture._

--End of Chapter Twenty--

Please review! It's that little purple button right underneath this.


	21. Confronting Authority

For disclaimer see Chapter One. Big thanks, as always, to my reviewers, you guys are all great.

**Mysterious Midnight** - I'm glad you liked! TFR.

**.elementbabe.** - I'm not sure whether Kyle will be in this story, I haven't actually thought about it to be honest. If he is, it won't be for a while. TFR.

**PrueTrudeau** - The black/blue hair is permanent, her demonic face is when her eyes change colour, the iris changes to look like they're flames. Her hair isn't that extreme, it's like a blue so dark that it looks black. Most people will see it and think that it's natural, and the rest will think it's dyed. No exposure, don't worry! TFR.

**jadelouise** - I'm happy that you like it. As for your idea, it is definitely a possibility. TFR.

**Melinda Prudence Halliwell** - Doesn't everyone need reviews? Well, if not need them, then at least like them. Anyway, I'm glad you like it. TFR.

**Amy P. Halliwell** - I apologise for it being so short, I can't help it! TFR.

**TVCrazed** - Lol, you're review was sweet. As for what Nicki dreams of, it will be revealed, but a little at a time. TFR.

**lillynilly** - Lol I'm glad! TFR.

**o0oWeird1o0o** - I'm really happy you like it! TFR.

--Chapter Twenty-One--

Sunday passed peacefully for all members of the newly expanded Halliwell household. Nicki and Phoebe did a little more training in the morning, whilst Paige played a little with Wyatt. Piper was still sleeping. Paige and Phoebe were starting to get a little worried about Piper; she was working into the early hours almost every day, and really wasn't getting enough sleep. She was heading for burnout, and refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong. Piper always had liked to flatly ignore anything that she couldn't deal with, until it got so big that she couldn't see anything else. Her sisters didn't want to see that happen to her again.

The car was slightly tense on Monday as they drove to Social Services. Phoebe was at work, trying to get ahead enough to take two days off next week, after all, they did have to go and see the Elders. Wyatt was strapped in his car-seat in the back with Nicki, and Paige was riding shotgun. Piper drove silently through the San Francisco streets, heading over to Paige's office. Even Wyatt seemed to pick up on the mood, he was quietly chewing on his rattle, gurgling happily.

As Piper pulled into the parking lot, Nicki's voice drifted from the back seat, worried and scared. 'Everything's going to be okay, right?' she asked, nervously.

Paige looked behind her, leaning over the seat. Nicki was looking kind of small, shrunk into herself. She was twisting her hands in her lap, over and over, and not meeting Paige's eyes.

'Nicki, honey,' Paige said, reaching over and stilling Nicki's hands with her own. 'We're not letting you go that easily, okay?'

Nicki looked up, searching Paige's face with her eyes. She seemed to find the reassurance she needed there, and smiled slightly, visibly relaxing.

The beginning stages were fine, Nicki and Piper had blood tests, but Paige was spared. After all, Piper was a closer relative to Nicki than she was, being Prue's full sister. Paige spent the time filling out paperwork, she knew exactly what needed to be done and she spoke to her boss, Mr Cowan, about fast-tracking the adoption. Then came the part that Nicki had been worried about, the interviews.

Paige and Piper were interviewed first by Mr Cowan, answering questions about their home life, financial position and family stability. They made an appointment for Phoebe to be interviewed at home that evening, and then it was Nicki's turn.

'Can't they stay with me?' she asked nervously, when Mr Cowan asked to speak to her in his office. She didn't stand, but held Wyatt a little closer to her.

'How about we talk a little first,' Mr Cowan said gently, bending down to her level, 'and then if you get uncomfortable, you can ask Paige and Piper to come in with you, okay?' His face was very sincere and open. Years of working with children in trouble had taught him that they didn't need patronising, just time and patience.

'Okay,' Nicki said slowly, carefully handing Wyatt over to Piper. She stood up hesitantly, looking to Piper and Paige for reassurance. They nodded encouragingly, and she let Mr Cowan lead her into his office.

One side of the room had a desk, covered in papers and forms, with a computer and a desk chair. The other side had several armchairs, a couch and a coffee table, arranged informally. The coffee table was covered with a variety of children's toys, crayons and paper. Mr Cowan sat down in one of the armchairs, gesturing Nicki to take the couch. She almost unconsciously reached for a small stuffed teddy bear and began toying with it, turning it over in her hands.

Mr Cowan, noticing this, smiled gently to reassure her. 'So, it's been quite the week for you, hasn't it Phoenix?' he asked, jokingly.

She looked at him, and smiled back. Her shoulders relaxed a little. 'I guess,' she said, shrugging.

'Do you want me to call you Phoenix?' he asked, sensing her bristling at the name.

'Nicki is better,' she said, gingerly. 'I don't like people calling me Phoenix really.'

'Why not?' Mr Cowan asked curiously, leaning back into his chair.

Nicki looked a little apprehensive. 'I just don't, that's all.'

'Okay,' Mr Cowan said, slowly, 'that's fine.' Taking in the tension that had suddenly appeared, he changed the subject. 'So how did you get all the way to San Francisco?' he asked, purposely leaving an open ended question, hoping that she'd start talking. To his relief, she did.

'I took a train to London, I had some money saved. I used to work after school sometimes; my foster parents didn't know, and I had nearly a hundred pounds. I had to wait in the airport for fourteen hours,' she said, looking down at her hands again, still turning the teddy bear over and over. 'When the flight came I snuck on. There was this crowd of people, all going through the gate at the same time. There was a mum and dad, and they had three children, and they all looked so happy. I walked in the middle of some teenagers, and avoided all the airport people. I was so scared that they were going to catch me.' She looked up at Mr Cowan, her eyes registering fear, tears trickling down her cheeks. 'I hid in the bathroom until the flight took off, and then I found an empty seat. When I got to San Francisco I gave them my passport, because they didn't need a ticket or anything. And then I went to find my aunts.'

Mr Cowan sensed that he could push just a little bit more. 'How did you know where to look for them?' he asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

As if by instinct, Nicki shrunk back in her chair, away from him. 'It was in my photo,' she explained. She took the photo out of her back pocket, where she kept it now, and handed it over to Mr Cowan. He took it and examined both the front and the back carefully. Nicki sat in silence whilst he did this, working up the courage to say something. She looked up, her face set. 'Am I going to have to go back?' she asked, her eyes worried.

'Would you like to?' Mr Cowan said, looking up from the photograph and handing it back to Nicki.

She took it with trembling hands and looked at it, now painfully aware of the tears making blotches on its surface. She brushed them away with her fingertips. 'No thank you,' she said, her breath catching in her throat. I think I'd like Piper and Paige to come in now,' she said, clutching the teddy bear tightly in one hand, the photo in the other.

Mr Cowan nodded. He got up and went to the door, opening it and gesturing to Piper and Paige to come in. Piper came in, cradling Wyatt on her hip, and Paige followed. When they saw Nicki crying on the couch they both hurried over to her. Piper sat down beside her, and put her arm around her. She awkwardly handed Wyatt over to Paige, and then pulled Nicki onto her lap and embraced her, not knowing the reason for her tears, and not needing to. She trusted Paige to discover that.

That was exactly what Paige planned to do. She put Wyatt down in the corner near Piper and Nicki where the stuffed animals were, and strode over to Mr Cowan. 'What did you say to her?' she asked angrily, her voice raised and her stance aggressive.

Mr Cowan looked a little worried, but stood his ground. 'Perhaps we should discuss this in your office?' he said, gesturing out of the room and down the hall.

Paige looked to Piper who nodded, and then walked out of the room, headed towards her own office. Mr Cowan closed the door, leaving Piper with Nicki and Wyatt in the corner.

Piper could hear Paige's door slam as she cradled her niece in her arms. At that moment in time, she almost felt sorry for Mr Cowan. Almost.

--End of Chapter Twenty-One--

Let's review, oh yeah.


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